


Connected

by gIitch



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Alternate Universe - Space, Angst, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Eventual Happy Ending, Eventual Romance, Eventual Sex, M/M, Mutual Pining, NSFW is skippable, Panic Attacks, Spaceships, Violence, pew pew, with even bigger laser guns, with laser guns
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-14
Updated: 2017-07-14
Packaged: 2018-07-24 00:19:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 169,717
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7485927
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gIitch/pseuds/gIitch
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"It wasn't supposed to happen to him. He wasn't supposed to be Connected to anyone, nevermind this jerk he wanted nothing more to do with. He was supposed to work for his pardon, <i>alone</i>, and then start over - have a normal, peaceful life, with no one inexplicably tied to his fate."</p>
<p>Karasuno Operations always had unconventional methods, but this special tactics unit they've formed beat the rest. The ship full of eccentrics was intended to take on minor covert missions around the star system in the military's place, but instead they got caught up in grander schemes they never expected.</p>
<p>And stuck in the middle are two men who don't see eye to eye, bound by a natural phenomena and forced to work together.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. heartburn

**Author's Note:**

  * For [SaltyStrawberry](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SaltyStrawberry/gifts), [Ziba](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ziba/gifts).

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ennoshita could feel the heartbeat in his chest, strong and rapid - and not his own.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CHECK OUT [THIS BEAUTIFUL ART](http://starlity.tumblr.com/post/149957063877/i-always-say-morisuke-kuns-fics-are-the-fics-of) by [STARLITY](http://starlity.tumblr.com/), oh my gosh I am unworthy of this honor
> 
>   
> 
> 
> Word count: 4550  
> [Mystery Skulls - Freaking Out](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUYM5WNdNGc)

_These men should be dead._

"I thought you would find the list quite interesting."

"'Interesting' is an understatement." Ennoshita swiped across the screen, eyes skimming another profile. "Quite a few 'deceased' listed here."

Takeda pushed the bridge of his glasses up against his nose, mirth dancing in his eyes behind the lenses. "Including yourself, _Ghost_."

He swiped across the screen of the datapad again. _Ennoshita Chikara - Status: Deceased._ "But I was a nobody. These men were- _are_ modern day legends. And that's just the walking dead. The others are nothing short of eccentric. Are you sure it's wise to put them all on the same ship?" If this were a movie, it would be a comedy - disarray and repeating gags woven through action scenes to appeal to a pre-teen audience.

"'Wise' is not our strategy." Takeda's pleased smile didn't falter; Karasuno Operations did seem rather fond of chaos. "We predict the team will have some trouble working together to start, but we put our absolute faith in Sawamura to bring you all together." And that's how the film would end; they'd put aside their differences and work together to bring down the villain, leaving the audience to bask in the victory of friendship as the credits roll. "The ship is almost complete. Until it's ready, we'll put the team through simulations as well as look for any Connected."

"Why Connected?" he asked, more to humor Takeda than out of any real interest. He could think of a few advantages of a bound pair, but they were ultimately inconsequential. They'd be in high-stress situations; he wouldn't need to feel his teammates' heartbeats to know they were reacting to the adrenaline. And the chances of being in a situation with low air supply- He didn't want to dwell on that possibility.

"Our partners at Nekoma are working on a project to enhance their benefits. If we're lucky, we'll get to see it first-hand."

"Enhance their benefits?" Ennoshita repeated, looking up from the datapad to give Takeda his full attention. The subject of Connected rarely caught his interest; it was more for hopeless romantics, the phenomena of connected hearts usually described with sappy words like ‘destiny’ and ‘soulmates’ even if it didn't guarantee a happily ever after or even romantic attraction. Any interest he had in feeling another person's heartbeat - as well as the other 'benefits' - was more out of a vague curiosity. Nekoma Tech's projects, however, were always intriguing. "What sort of enhancements?"

"What little I know is classified, for the moment. Maybe you'll be a lucky test subject!"

_Thanks for the flag, Takeda-san._ "Let's hope not. I work best alone, remember? It would be wasted on me." He decided against reminding Takeda of the tacky codename _Ghost_ he had been given; if he ignored it long enough, maybe it would go away. "The list mentions you already have a Connected pair."

"One of them is no longer fit for combat," Takeda explained as he walked towards the door. "To be quite honest, we're unsure if they'll be willing to cooperate with each other yet. We've only just sent them the list."

"That's reassuring," Ennoshita joked. "How many on here are prisoners?"

"Only you, _Ghost."_ Takeda bowed his head politely. "I'll fetch you tomorrow afternoon for the simulations."

The heavy door rattled as it closed, leaving Ennoshita alone with the datapad in his furnished jail cell.

He settled on the bed to read over the list in full, folding his legs and leaning against the wall. Karasuno Operations had been rather accommodating with the tiny but otherwise comfortable room, giving him a desk and plenty of digital reading selection. Kept at a Karasuno Ops. location instead of a prison while he waited for this _insane_ special tactics group they were forming was probably more than he deserved; the offer to work off his sentence was certainly a gift in comparison to the punishment he should truly be facing.

Eight months in this cramped room.

Seven years in the special tactics unit.

"I can do this," he reassured himself, letting the words fill the silence of the room. A minor habit, one he'd kept in check around others. He wasn't lonely, per se; Takeda visited often to give him new information or simply for small talk, sometimes with Ukai alongside him, and Kinoshita and Narita were allowed to visit - though said visits were understandably supervised. He felt it strange to consider them "partners in crime"; they were good people, average, hard-working civilians who kept to themselves and caused no one trouble - except for the few occasions they were quite literally his partners in crime. Another incentive from Karasuno Ops.; they were free to go if Ennoshita agreed to work for them.

"Takeda wasn't kidding. 'Wise' really isn't their strategy." He swiped across the screen of the datapad, frowning at the name. _Kinoshita Hisashi - Status: Alive._ "Neither is theirs apparently." Kinoshita Hisashi and Narita Kazuhito, pilot and engineer. Their profiles were among the shortest on the list, with no military background and their potential criminal records wiped. Ennoshita pinched the bridge of his nose, squeezing his eyes shut. "I thought you guys would have learned your lesson about getting mixed up in others' messes." They were under no obligation to join; which meant they chose to take Karasuno's offer on their own free will. The familiar faces would be nice, but _what were they thinking?_ It was only by Karasuno's unorthodox methods that they were free to live their normal lives. Shouldn't that have been enough of a warning sign that this could only lead to trouble?

He opened his eyes to face the ceiling, a disappointed sigh escaping his lips before returning his attention to the datapad. Scanning a new profile, he read the lines and what lay between them. This one was much longer than his former partners, and far more interesting, if a bit bleak. _-deceased. The soldier showed superior results in combat simulators-_ Great potential, could likely have climbed the ranks in the military quickly. What he accomplished in his few missions was nothing short of incredible. Until that last one. _-ambushed, all others missing or confirmed dead. Injuries include severed left arm-_ If he was on the list, then his 'deceased' status was as much a ruse as Ennoshita's. Probably for reasons concerning that last reported mission four years ago, if he had to guess. He imagined a stoic lone wolf, the stress of the horrors he'd seen etched upon a face far too young. "King Arthur's Sir Bedivere. The one-handed knight and sole survivor. What sort of character will you be in this story?" he wondered aloud, painting a picture in his mind of an intensely quiet, scarred man with emotional walls stronger than a dreadnought's shields before swiping across the datapad.

The next profile offered a much more familiar name, a hero thought robbed from the star system much too early. Responsible for two miraculous rescue missions within as many years, getting everyone out alive despite seemingly impossible odds, _-suffered severe damage to the left side of his body,-_ his death during a mission was reported some months after his Connected made the news for all the wrong reasons. Poetically tragic, in a way; until reading his name on the list, Ennoshita had assumed the two died around the same time - despite their completely opposite actions that led to their fates, they died together in the end.   

Though said Connected came to mind as he read, he hadn't expected that name to be the next listed as a potential teammate. However... _-executed for the murder of three soldiers, four Cassardis colony politicians, and twenty-six civilians-_ Three years ago, news of the massacre reached the eyes and ears of multiple planetside colonies. The soldier had turned on his own men and the innocents around him for reasons that were never explained. But if he was on the list... Ennoshita nervously rubbed at the thick bracelet strapped tight around his wrist. Maybe it wasn't too late to turn down Karasuno's offer; prison seemed slightly less terrifying at the moment. If he had turned on his own men... "Takeda has a lot of explaining to do." Not that asking Takeda would help; he'd likely smirk, amused by the knowledge he would refuse to directly share, instead offering some sort of metaphor and delighting in leaving Ennoshita wondering.

A lone survivor, a war hero, a murderous traitor.

Seven years in the special tactics unit.

"I can do this," Ennoshita repeated, though the words filling the silence of the cell were devoid of any conviction.

* * *

"Are you excited to meet your new team, Ghost?"

_I'm more excited about the windows,_ he thought, his eyes drawn to the natural light as they walked through the hallway. It wasn't uncommon for Takeda to escort him around the office as they spoke, and Ennoshita was growing fond of the surprisingly mundane building where his cell sat buried in the basement. There was a comfort to be found in the normality of the beige walls, the clacking of shoes echoing off tiles, the subtle buzz in the air of the collective boredom from desk work. Before his incarceration, he never would have dreamed that a short walk around a dull office would be the highlight of his week. _Is this how Stockholm Syndrome starts?_ "I have a few questions about the reading material you provided."

As expected, there was that smile; someone oblivious would read it as just another polite smile from the man that seemed completely innocent, even delicate in his purity. But Ennoshita knew better, could see the smugness at its corners and the mischievous glint in his eyes. "I'm sure you do." Takeda held the door open for him, gesturing with one hand for Ennoshita to follow through first. The small lobby reminded him of a cheap hotel's, a few unfamiliar occupants scattered about.

"Takeda-san." The handsome man that approached them seemed more like a soldier than an office worker; it wasn't the fetching, short hair, or the rather flattering, broad build that screamed 'military' that caught Ennoshita's eye, but the disciplined, confident posture and the enticing dash of authority in his step. All questions Ennoshita had about the profiles were gone, replaced with questions along the lines of _What’s your type?_ and _Your place or mine?_

The handsome stranger looked over him, his gaze gliding down, down... to the magnetic handcuffs, the white shell of the thick bracelets holding his wrists together practically illuminated against his black attire. For that painstakingly long moment, he held his breath, the chatter elsewhere in the room dull compared to the pounding in his ears as he anxiously waited for the stranger's reaction.

“Good afternoon.” The handsome stranger offered a polite nod before turning his attention back to Takeda, completely unaware of Ennoshita’s internal screaming. His anxieties escaped with his held breath; if the handsome man wasn't going to make a big deal about the handcuffs, he could deal with any other reaction they might receive. He'd had enough awkward dealings with them around the building to grow resistant. _Unless they're attractive, apparently. Eight months alone, and I'm a horny teenager again._

_Try not to stare._ He let his gaze wander past the flattering, broad shoulders to the other side of the lobby, glancing over the people nearby. Two younger men seemed to be bickering while a petite woman fidgeted nearby, trying and failing to distract them. Another pair stood a few yards away, snickering to each other while watching the argument unfold. And against the wall was- _Is he glaring at me?_

The man leaning against the wall looked like he should be the one in handcuffs, and again, it wasn't his looks - shaved head, faded pants with a loose tanktop, and some sort of tattoo on his shoulder - that gave Ennoshita the impression, but the way he carried himself - arms crossed in front of his chest, a dirty boot rudely propped up against the wall without a care, and staring a hole through Ennoshita as if he personally offended his ancestors. _What's his problem?_ His glower didn't falter when Ennoshita's eyes caught his but instead made an obvious show of sizing him up. _Is it the handcuffs?_ Ennoshita shrugged and tilted his head, hoping the silent question of _'huh?'_ would get across; he could have sworn the guy _tch'd_ before finally turning away, face stuck in the ridiculous scowl as he glared at the stairway instead.

"Ghost, would you mind waiting here for a few minutes?"

"Huh? Oh, sure," he answered before letting the words sink in, distracted by the unwarranted dirty look. He was being left unsupervised? That was new. _Damn it, I responded to his stupid nickname in front of the hot guy. Smooth, Chikara._

With a polite bow and a curious smirk, Takeda left, taking the only person in the room Ennoshita was interested in speaking to with him. _What now?_ It had been eight months since he was left to his own devices outside of his cell, free to mingle with the people nearby. The idea was... a little unnerving, in all honesty. It had been so long since he spoke to someone new. How would he introduce himself? What would he talk about? _Hello, my name's Ennoshita, prisoner in the basement here. Pleased to meet you. How's the weather? No, really, I haven't been outside in over half a year, please tell me._

Resigned to not make an ass of himself any further, he leaned against the wall, his thoughts returning to the silent standoff. _What was that about anyways?_ Unable to stop his curiosity and mild irritation, his eyes wandered back to the glaring man. He seemed distraught, face twisted as he contemplated whatever it was rude people thought about when they weren't busy giving strangers dirty looks. _Maybe what breed of puppy to kick next._

A shriek startled him from his thoughts; the petite woman’s face was as pale as if she saw- well, a ghost. "S-s-sorry, I didn't mean- I wasn't-" She was looking at _him,_ at his handcuffs, before her eyes went wide with whatever realization must have struck her. "I thought you were someone else!" she squeaked from across the lobby, and all eyes were on him now. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she repeated, bowing along with each apology.

He could hardly blame her fear; there was a man in handcuffs left unattended. He'd be nervous in her position, too. "It's alright," he managed weakly, hoping a smile would give her some ease. He'd been told his smile was calming before; was that still the case after almost a year locked away? With each moment that passed outside the solitude of his cell, he realized just how detached he'd become from the rest of the world, mundane activities like passing strangers and having small talk feeling like grand steps he wasn't allowed to take.

The shorter of her friends was completely immune to the awkward atmosphere, dissolving it with a genuinely amused laugh. "Yacchan, who did you think it was?" As easy as that, all attention was drawn away from Ennoshita. Even the scared woman seemed to relax, bashfully scratching the back of her neck as she whispered to her cheerful friend.

_Are we done testing how awkward I’ve become yet?_ he wondered, almost out loud from habit. He closed his eyes, pretending the rest of the room didn't exist. Nervous as he was for the special tactics unit, he needed to get back into normal socializing, and fast, because his current instinct to run back to his cell right now probably wasn't healthy.

_I jinxed myself._ The sound of footsteps approaching weren't subtle. He knew what direction they were coming from, heavy boots hitting the floor that made him cringe. He could feel the man in his personal space, probably little more than a foot away. _Maybe if I keep my eyes closed and pretend not to notice, he'll leave me alone._

"You're some kind of criminal, huh?" _No such luck._

Reluctantly, he opened his eyes. At a closer look, the man was his height and likely around the same age as well. The light stubble across his chin and up his jaw complimented the buzzcut and tan skin. The color of his sharp eyes was hard to discern- _Are they blue? Grey?-_ but there was no mistaking he was glaring at him. Again. If he wasn't intent on dressing so poorly and scowling, he could give the handsome man a run for his money.

"Can I help you with something?" Ennoshita congratulated himself on holding back the sarcasm. He was often the calm voice of reason in a group; speaking softly and politely did wonders to avoid conflict and gradually earn respect. But something about this man who'd been in his life for all of three minutes was testing the eight months of patience he'd been holding in his forced solitude.

Hands on his bent hips, he leaned even closer. "Why’re ya locked up?" he asked, though the question seemed more of a demand punctuated with a curl of his lip. _I didn't realize I was here for an interrogation._ "The hell'd you do?"

_Well, you see, it started when a man looked at me funny._ No, better to not fan the flames, even with a lie. Takeda would be back to rescue him any moment now, and he could hide in the safety of his cell where no one snarled at him. "I'd prefer to be alone, unless there's a problem."

_Wrong thing to say,_ he realized immediately. _You opened that door for him._

A hand slammed the wall beside his head, but the sound was off, like a dull thud of leather against the surface. "Oh, there's a damn problem alright. You're walkin' around with handcuffs like it's no big deal and scaring little girls. And then your heart got all weird when you were checking out Daichi-"

_Huh?!_

"Like it sped up, it was freaky shit-"

"Huh?!"

_"Fire! There's a fire!"_

_"Huh?!"_ they both repeated, turning their heads to the source of the yelling.

Flames crept under the closed door by the feet of 'Yacchan's' friend, rapidly crawling up the door and sprawling across the wall - too quickly, and as if it had a set course. "I think this is a trap," Ennoshita thought aloud, his words almost swallowed up and lost by the panicked yelps of the others in the room.

"A trap? Why the hell would you think-"

_"D-d-don't touch the handle with your bare hand, Hinata!"_

_"It's locked! The door's locked!"_

The man still very much in his personal space shoved at his chest, pinning him against the wall. "How'd you know it was a trap?!"

_"This one's locked too! They're all locked!"_

_"So are the windows!"_

With his shackled hands, he struggled to get a grip on the wrist holding him down; he could feel the heat against his back as the flames drew closer. _Need to stay calm,_ he reminded himself, focusing on steadying his breathing. Panicking would accomplish nothing. There had to be a way out, and Takeda would be on his way back soon, if he hadn't called for help already.

Besides, he had years of practice working under intense pressure.

"The way it's spreading - it doesn't seem natural. It's like someone drew paths for it. Look how it's only covering the walls and exits."

_"Stop panicking. We need to find a way out."_

_"What about the people upstairs?!"_

Ennoshita could feel the heartbeat in his chest, strong and rapid - and not his own. If he weren't aware of the difference he wouldn't be able to separate it from his own, the extra pulse that echoed in his ears and spread warmth through his veins as natural as the air in his lungs. The beat was subtle but powerful under his breast, as strong as the hand pinning him against the wall.

_It's his._

_We're Connected._

It wasn't supposed to happen to him. He wasn't supposed to be Connected to anyone, nevermind this _jerk_ he wanted nothing more to do with. He was supposed to work for his pardon, _alone,_ and then start over - have a normal, peaceful life, with no one inexplicably tied to his fate.

He didn't want it, he always thought. He didn't need anything more than a few reliable friends, didn't need someone 'just for him' in any sense.

But now that it was happening... There was something enticing about it, about feeling someone in a way that no one else could.

If this were a movie, this would be the turning point in the relationship between rivals; their eyes would lock as the chaos of the action played around them, and in that moment they'd silently acknowledge the common goal, working together to find an escape. And through the shared experience they'd form a bond that was unbreakable, a friendship that would last through every sequel and well past the epilogue.

The eyes looking into his own grew wider before he dropped his hands, finally stepping back. _Does he feel it too? Are we having that moment?_

"I'm going upstairs."

_Nope, he's just an idiot._ "What's wrong with you?! We need to find a way out, not go further in!" Ennoshita followed him as he pushed past tables and chairs on the way to the stairway.

The fire covered the entry completely; not a single step could be seen past the inferno and wayward sparks. "There's people up there!"

"They probably have other ways out!" With the doors conveniently locked and no fire alarm to be heard, this room must have been specifically targeted. _But why?_ Regardless, they weren't trained or equipped to rescue people. Attempting could do more harm than good. Ennoshita reached for his shirt, but his poor grip from the handcuffs was easily swatted away. "The best thing we can do is look for a way out and call for help. Going up there is going to accomplish nothing other than getting you killed!"

"I'm not waiting around for other people, damn it. I'm going in." Shielding his face with his left arm, the man that should have been bound to his fate for a lifetime charged through the fire, his image swallowed up through the flames. _Even if he's an ass, it shouldn't end like this!_ Feeling another's heartbeat, experiencing someone else in a way he'd never with another... He didn't want it before, but now that he had a taste, he wasn't so sure he could give it up.

Connected or not, the idiot was throwing his life away. Even if Ennoshita didn't like him, no one deserved to literally go down in flames. _If I go after him, I'll only meet the same end. But could I live with myself if I do nothing at all? Damn him._ Conflicted, he approached the blaze, close enough to catch the flickering details. He could still feel the idiot's heartbeat if he focused-

A hand shot out through the curtain of flames, grabbing his shackled arms and pulling him in.

With an unflattering yelp, he staggered through. The sweltering heat soaked his clothes, the loud crackling deafened him to the rest of the lobby, and the flames burned- absolutely nothing. There stood his rude and _completely moronic_ Connected, still holding his arm, completely unharmed. "Watch." Before Ennoshita could stop him, he shot his other arm through the fire. "It's not burning. The hell's going on?"

Hesitantly, Ennoshita reached out to touch the burning wall beside him. The fire had no feel to it, no extra heat strong enough to burn his skin. It was like reaching through a ray of a light. He let out the breath a sigh of relief; crazy as it all was, they were safe. "It's fake."

"Who fakes a damn fire? Those kids out there are freaking out. I think two of them had heart attacks."

Who would fake a fire? And why? What purpose would simulating-

Simulations. The team was supposed to meet for simulations.

_Takeda, you bastard._

It was all coming together now. "Karasuno. Making us 'freak out' was the point. It would increase our heart rates so we could feel any Connected." It was awkward to use the word in front of him, as if acknowledging it was some confession of approval. And maybe he could approve of the feeling - strange as it was to admit - but he could never approve of _him._

"Connected, huh?" It was even weirder to hear him say it so casually. He clicked his tongue. "I don't get it."

"Of course you don't." He'd pinch the bridge of his nose, but with the handcuffs, the effort wasn't worth it. If this charade was for the team as he thought, then the idiot in front of him was his new teammate. _Wonderful._ "They're looking for Connected in the new team. That's why we're here."

"Eh? Why're they lettin' a criminal like _you_ on the squad?"

"Why are you talking like you know me? Did you even read the profiles?" His arrest and talents were listed in vague detail, the only profile to further clarify a not-quite-so-dead status.

"Nope."

"Of course you didn't." The artificial fire vanished, taking the heat with it; the voices in the lobby could be heard clearly again, cheering and confused squawks.

"Why are you talking like you know me?" he grinned, far too proud of himself for turning Ennoshita's words against him. It could be a rather attractive grin if it wasn't attached to such a stupid face. "It's more fun learning who's who the hard way. Profiles won't tell me what kind of person you are."

How could they not? A person's background, career choice, specialties - wouldn't they paint a picture to the reader to some extent? Ennoshita liked to think he had a good idea of what to expect. With this man's attitude problems and lack of regard for his own safety, he had to be the newbie pilot. Or maybe the engineer that didn't play nice with others. "Who are you supposed to be, then?"

"Tanaka Ryuunosuke," he announced proudly, crossing his arms over his chest as if to add some sort of flair to his introduction.

_No. There's no way._ Ennoshita's eyes flickered to his left arm, focusing on the tattoo on the exposed shoulder. The head of a dragon stopped suddenly, cut off by a thin scar that wrapped completely around his bicep. _Sir Bedivere._ The one-handed knight and sole survivor; the picture in his mind of the intensely quiet lone-wolf shattered. He was supposed to be stoic, alluring in the way that he'd only open up to those who earned his trust, not- not _this,_ not a jerk who managed to dance on his nerves and practically give him a heart attack with his recklessness.

Loathe to admit it, Tanaka was right; a profile said nothing about what kind of person he was. _Sir Bedivere, you've made a fool of me._

"What's with the face? You're pale as a ghost."

Seven years in the special tactics unit.

"I can't do this."


	2. prove

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "About those enhancements..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Word count: 9395  
> [Barns Courtney - Glitter and Gold](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrV90gXmOpA)

The door was cold under Tanaka's palm, but he could sense the warmth beyond. "I can feel him there."

"Yeah? What's that like?"

The steady heartbeat on the other side was in sync with his own. Feeling someone else's heartbeat wasn't distracting or overwhelming like he always wondered; instead, it was a comfort, maybe even a part of him he never knew he was missing. It was a subtle sensation that pulled at him, drawing him in.

"It's weird as hell."

Ukai barked a laugh. "What do ya think of him so far?"

Jet black hair against pale skin, dark eyes that were an abyss devoid of color- like one of those creepy ghosts from the movies where they crawl out of the screen. "I don't like him."

"Not surprised. You don't like anyone when you meet 'em."

"This is worse, Ukai-san." He couldn't be bothered to explain the handcuffs, he scared that poor girl out of her mind, and - worst of all - he tried to stop him from going up the stairs yesterday. "I think he's the sensible type. I don't do well with sensible types."

"Sawamura's a sensible type."

"That's different. I ain't Connected to 'im." There it was - the big, red, juicy cherry on top of the steaming pile of shit that was 'Ghost'. Tanaka always hoped he'd be Connected. Hell, everyone wanted to be Connected, didn't they? He dreamed about being one of the lucky few, and that dream included a damn fairytale romance where he got to play Prince Charming to a cute girl, falling in love at first sight and feeling her heart beat just for him before riding off into the sunset. Instead, he got some ghost-looking convict making googly-eyes at his captain. "Besides, Daichi-san earned my respect. All this guy's done so far is piss me off."

"Well, get used to Ghost, 'cause you're going to be seeing a lot of him now that you're Connected. He's the best infiltrator we've seen in a long damn time."

"Doesn't infiltration do their own thing?"

"He can't do his own thing if he gets caught. That's where you come in. You do what you do best: draw the enemies' attention, and he sneaks in unnoticed."

"Great, now I'm taking bullets for him."

"Taking bullets for your team is what you trained for. It's why you've got the best damn armor we can get our hands on." Most people favored their weapons, giving them names and polishing them after each fight. But not Tanaka; Tanaka's combat hardsuit was his baby. Nekoma Tech had almost perfected the shield generator, and the practically indestructible plating from Fukurodani was top tier. For the past year, he'd walked out of tough fights with only soreness from the weight. "You risk your ass to cover for them so they can get the job done."

"I'm willing to risk my ass for anyone but that asshole."

He jerked his hand away from the door at the sound of the muffled voice on the other side. "Could you repeat that any louder, please? I'm not sure the third floor heard you clearly enough."

"Great, he heard every- I SAID YOU'RE A FU- Hrk!"

Ukai yanked him back by his collar. "Alright, that's enough." Ukai unlocked the door with an iron key- _No electronic lock? They still make crap like this?_ \- and it rattled as he slid it open, revealing the infiltrator waiting on the other side in all his frowning glory. Hands resting at his sides instead of strapped together, the magnetic handcuffs on his wrists looked more like a poor fashion choice; clad in all black from his shoes to his turtleneck, the clashing white bracelets would be the first thing anyone would notice.

Except for Tanaka, who was happily fixated on the prisoner's annoyed expression. "Morning, Sunshine!"

'Ghost' narrowed his eyes at Tanaka before turning his attention to Ukai. "I'm resigning from the team," he stated quickly, intent to get the words out before Ukai could say anything.

_Resigning?_ Sure, Tanaka didn't like him, but they just found out they were Connected, damn it! That had to mean something, didn't it? He couldn't-

"No, you're not," Ukai shot back, completely unfazed. Had they had this conversation before? Did he threaten to quit often? "Because today, you and your Connected here-" Ukai pat Tanaka on the back, earning a subtle eye twitch from the prisoner, "-are going to Nekoma Tech after you meet some of the team properly."

The frown remained- _Bet his face is stuck that way._ \- but his eyebrows lifted, something about the mention of Nekoma Tech catching his interest.

They _must_ have had this conversation before, because Ukai was prepared, knowing exactly which pieces to move across the board to win this match in record time. "They gave us some new communicators to try out. We're thinking you two should try them first."

Ghost gave a weak whimper, his grimace falling apart. Maybe he wasn't too bad looking when he wasn't glaring daggers or surrounded by fire. And maybe Tanaka noticed that in the lobby yesterday - only that he just happened to notice, of course. Not that he caught Tanaka's eye when he first walked in or anything like that.

"And," Ukai continued, and the infiltrator's shoulders drooped. Whatever move Ukai was going to make, it was going to deal the final blow, and Ghost knew it. "The communicators are synced to the AI installed on the new ship."

"AI?!" Tanaka and Ghost asked simultaneously. They glanced at one another, each an eyebrow raised but neither daring to comment on it before both whipping their heads back to Ukai. And ignoring his grin.

"Yup."

"How?!" Tanaka and Ghost asked simultaneously. Again. Neither turned their heads this time; they weren't going to fall for that a second time. Instead, they each waited one, two, three seconds before trying to steal a glance at one another, catching each other’s look regardless.

Ghost looked away immediately, but Tanaka kept his gaze on him a moment longer. The parted hair was dorky, but it suited him in a way. Heavy lidded eyes on a face that was soft around the edges... Maybe Tanaka was a bit of a sucker for that. And the thin, pale lips weren't too bad.

He was alright. Just 'alright', though.

"We're not supposed to have him, and no one's supposed to know about him. We've been given the go-ahead from higher-ups but it's best to not get the word out, got that?"

_"Him?"_

Neither of them bothered to look at each other this time. "Some higher power had a field day making you two. Yes, _him._ The AI's developed enough that he's grown preferences. It's why we're keeping him; his coding checks out, and it seems he likes us well enough that he shouldn't turn on us. We've got locks on him in case, though."

Ghost glanced at him, no doubt waiting to see if he'd speak up first. "Go ahead, I'll be quiet just this once," Tanaka assured him. In truth, there was probably some science or math crap they should ask, and that wasn't his thing. He'd let Mr. Parted Hair take care of that.

"I'm sorry, but... It- _He_ 'likes' us?" Ghost began as he turned his gaze back to Ukai. "AI's don't 'like' anything. If he's 'developed enough', he rewrites his own coding at will."

"That's exactly what he did. He'll put the safety of your team specifically above anything else. The only way anyone can change that is by rewriting him from the ground up, but we got enough code locks on him to keep that from happening."

"But why did it- _he_ do that? What makes an AI rewrite itself?"

"If you come with us to meet the team, you can ask him yourself." Checkmate.

More drooping shoulders, another defeated whimper. Ghost raised his wrists in front of him, ready for the magnetic handcuffs to link together. "You win."

"I always do," Ukai commented, not even taking the opportunity to gloat. _What a waste._ He fished in his pocket to pull out a small remote - and Tanaka made a mental note to ask if the security camera overhead caught the look of pure horror on Ghost's face as Ukai handed the remote to him. He wanted a screenshot to frame, maybe put it on his nightstand so he could laugh himself to sleep at night. "Don't make me regret giving this transmitter to you, Tanaka."

The remote seemed like nothing special, not even the length of his hand and consisted of some kind of dial and a single button.

Tanaka _loved_ buttons, especially if they made his new best bud cry out in fear. "No, please, anyone but-" With a click of said button, the bracelets snapped in place, holding his wrists together tightly.

"What's this do?"

"If you turn that dial clockwise-"

Ghost lurched forward, aiming to grab the remote from Tanaka's hand. "No, no no no-"

Tanaka twisted the dial as much as it would allow in one motion, ignoring the bit of resistance each tick gave, and Ghost crumpled to the floor with an unseen weight of his shackles. "-it drops the suspension fields, and that happens," Ukai continued. The prisoner was scowling yet again, looking up at Tanaka through narrowed eyes.

Tanaka flashed him his best grin back. "You don't look too bad on your knees."

"I strongly dislike you."

"C'mon, say it louder. I thought we were giving the third floor a radio show."

"Alright, that's enough," Ukai interjected. "You've got some people to meet. Do you remember the way to the lobby?"

Tanaka turned the dial back, and Ghost rose to his feet, dusting off his knees. "You're not coming with us?"

"You two need to learn to get along without a babysitter. And Tanaka," he began as he turned away, "use the transmitter as you see fit, but keep in mind that Sawamura is monitoring the records of it."

As Ukai walked away, Tanaka shoved the transmitter into his pocket, out of sight and out of mind. It was too tempting to abuse, but if Daichi saw that, he might throw him out the airlock. Not that he was scared of Daichi, of course. No way. "Ready to meet your new squad, Sunshine?"

* * *

The lobby didn't look so bad when it wasn't on fire. And the three standing beside Takeda seemed in better spirits with the lack of fire too, though the cute girl shot nervous glances around the room at every sound she heard.

"Where's the robot?"

"The AI? It's highly unlikely he'll have a body, you know," Ghost replied as they walked towards the small group. "He'll probably handle matters with the ship's systems that aren't physical. No 'robots' required."

"Lame."

Takeda greeted them with a bow as they approached, his gentle smile always nice to see. The star system could use more innocent men like Take-chan. "I'm glad you two made it." He turned towards the others, resting a hand on Tanaka's back. "This is Tanaka Ryuunosuke. His focus is combat exclusively."

Any other time, Tanaka would introduce himself to the guys with a little bullshit threat, probably a lip curl, too. Show 'em not to mess with him, maybe get a little respect through fear - the usual first impression routine. But the shorty looked like his heart couldn't take it after yesterday. He and the girl probably weren't fighters, then, if they couldn't handle a little helpless situation or two. But the tall guy with a serious case of Resting Bitch Face Syndrome looked like he could hold his own in a fight.

"And his companion here is Gh-"

_"Ennoshita,"_ he interrupted with impressive speed. "Ennoshita Chikara. Pleased to meet you properly. I'd shake your hand if mine weren't tied together." He side-eyed Tanaka, a silent cue to unlink the cuffs - which Tanaka chose to ignore.

The cute girl was quick to bow her head a few times. "I-I'm so sorry! About yesterday! I saw the handcuffs and thought you were- Oh, no, I shouldn't talk about the handcuffs! I'm s-"

"It's alright." He offered her a smile, and it was... soft. _Is 'soft' a way to talk about a smile?_ Without Tanaka trying to annoy the hell out of him, his smile was kinda nice. Calming. Even the cute girl seemed to relax at the sight of it. "I would have made the same assumption, honestly," Gho- _Ennoshita_ continued. _Right. Ennoshita Chikara. Not a bad name. But what the hell are they talking about?_

"I'm Yachi Hitoka. I'm in charge of communications."

"She's also a shrink," Takeda supplied, casually, as if he didn't just say the magic word to make Tanaka uncomfortable as hell. "She'll be observing you all to make sure you stay in top mental and emotional health."

He wasn't the only one avoiding the 'S' word. "P-please don't talk about it, Takeda-san!" she pleaded. "I'm only here to make sure everyone's okay! I'll mostly be helping Shimizu-san with tasks around the ship. B-but if any of you do need someone to talk to about anything, please come to me! I'll do my best!"

Most of cute little Yachi's words flew over his head. "Kiyoko-san?! Kiyoko-san will be on the team?" Any time he had to stop by Karasuno, he made sure to come up with new excuses to visit Kiyoko in the weapons department. He may have 'accidentally' lost a piece to a gun. Or four.

"She'll be helping with general tasks around the ship," Takeda answered. "Though as I know you're aware, she's primarily in charge of requisitions and weapons."

That higher power Ukai mentioned earlier must have been apologizing to him for the whole Connected-to-an-asshole thing. Or maybe a better high power was fighting that one with Tanaka's luck as the battlefield. The stunning, flawless, and incredibly sexy weapons expert was going to be on their team? He could imagine it now: They'd sit side by side, watching the stars together as the ship float through the sky, when she'd turn to him and say-

"Quit with the dumb look," Ennoshita nudged his side as he whispered. "Pay attention. You're being rude."

"This here is- Hinata-kun, are you alright?"

The shorter kid- _man, not kid, if he's on the team-_ looked up at Tanaka with his eyes as wide as saucers. "Is that a tattoo? It's so cool!"

A simple question, but he smiled as bright as the sun as he asked, his enthusiasm fit to burst. Tanaka couldn't help but reflect the smile back at him, grinning from ear to ear. The kid was pretty cute. And calling him a 'man' didn't feel right after all, not when he still smiled so innocently. "That's right! My sis gave it to me. It's badass, right?"

"Oooah! That's so- Hey, why does it stop right there?"

"H-Hinata-kun, that's probably rude-"

So she noticed the scar, even if the kid didn't. She probably read up on him like Ennoshita did. "The arm's fake!" he explained, still grinning proudly, patting the arm over the tattoo hard enough to sting, feeling where his real arm ended and the fake one began. The artificial arm flawlessly attached to him could feel the impact, but it lacked the sting, the pain that made it a part of him. "Lost the old one in a fight. Doesn't stop me from fighting though!" Nothing was going to stop him, especially not some flesh wound.

"Whoa! Didn't it hurt?!"

"I've had worse."

Ennoshita huffed in amusement. "You liar." _He's enjoying himself,_ Tanaka realized, watching the way his brows relaxed and pale lips settled on a gentle smile like the one he gave Yachi.

"There's nothing worse than losing your arms," the tall guy finally spoke, grimly serious as he stared down at his hands. "With artificial hands, you lack the precision to properly calibrate the-"

"This is Kageyama!" Hinata pat the tall guy on the back, ignoring the weird, intense aura he was radiating while he mumbled something about 'calibrations'.

"Kageyama-kun here is a genius engineer," Takeda explained. "He's rather passionate about his profession; your ship will always be at it's best while he's around."

"But he's stupid with everything else!"

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?!"

"Hinata-kun, Kageyama-kun, please stop fighting!"

Ignoring the sudden flurry of limbs as the two continued to ignore Yachi, Takeda gestured for Tanaka and Ennoshita to follow him. "Best to leave those two for now. As I neglected to explain, Hinata is a pilot."

"Shouldn't the pilot and engineer get along?" Ennoshita asked as they followed Takeda out of the lobby. "If we need a quick escape, it'll be dependent on those two working together."

"A scene you're quite familiar with, I assume. Your former partners Narita-kun and Kinoshita-kun will be joining to provide back-up, as I'm sure you've read." _The hell's he talking about? Escapes? Partners?_ "That's exactly why we've chosen young Hinata-kun for this team. He's not very experienced, but his teamwork with Kageyama-kun while flying is extraordinary. Together, they've pulled off some rather unbelievable stunts."

Ennoshita didn't seem satisfied with that answer. "Takeda-san, the more I learn about this team, the more I'm convinced you're insane."

"Just wait until you meet our partners at Nekoma Tech." Takeda stopped - in front of the most stunning woman to grace the planet. No- the star system. _No-_ the entire galaxy. Captivating, gray eyes hidden behind pink frames, silky hair brushing past her shoulders, and damn, those curves - she was the image of perfection.

"Kiyoko-san! You're looking as beautiful as ev-"

"Takeda-san. Ghost," she greeted the other two, nodding politely.

"Please, call me Ennoshita."

_Damn, it doesn't feel as good when she ignores me if she's talking to him instead._ "How do you know Kiyoko-san? Have you been bugging her? Are we going to have a problem, _Ghost?"_

His smug look when he raised his eyebrow didn't sit well with Tanaka. "I get the distinct impression that you're one who shouldn't be talking."

Takeda ignored them, focusing on Kiyoko instead. "Is that the box with the communicators?"

She nodded, handing the small package over. "Nekomata says they're ready to use. If that's all, I need to meet with Hitoka-chan."

"Thank you for your help, Shimizu-chan. I'm sure Yacchan could use a rescue right about now." Takeda returned her bow as she left before pulling two small, metal hoops from the box. "These should fit like any other. Please keep them on at all times."

The communicator clicked into place around the base of Tanaka's ear; it would take a few days before he'd get used to the feeling, like a new ring, but it was more comfortable than the others he'd worn before. He ran his finger over the button that hid behind his ear, testing it. It had a satisfying click to it, but the way Ennoshita raised his eyebrow at him, it was likely beeping in his ear. Probably best to not abuse that with Daichi around. He tested it a few more times, just to watch Ennoshita's brow furrow in annoyance. "Does it do anything special?"

"Like other communicators, pressing the button will page your teammates, and holding it will allow you to speak through them. We'll get them synced up to your hardsuits so you can use them in combat as well. Their range is about half a mile from each other and the ship, but extensions like shuttles can increase it."

"Eh?"

"If we stray too far from the ship or a shuttle, it can't reach us," Ennoshita clarified. "Takeda-san, Ukai-san implied there was something more to them."

"Ah, yes. I may have stretched the truth to him a little. There's nothing particularly new about the communicators themselves. They're linked to the ship, and therefore, the AI that I'm sure Ukai-kun mentioned. Between these and the cameras we'll install on your helmets, he'll be able to guide you while you're on the field."

"Is he a robot?"

"Robot...? Oh, you mean if he has a physical body. No, only a holographic interface."

"Told you so."

"Hey, didn't hurt to ask."

Takeda cleared his throat to catch their attention. "The last I ask of you for today is to meet with Nekoma Tech and hear the proposition they have for you two."

"Eh? What about?"

"The enhancements for Connected you mentioned before?" Ennoshita asked.  

_Enhancements for Connected?_ "Not interested. I can live without feeling you get all excited whenever a hot guy walks by."

"Oh, please. You're one to talk with the way you're drooling about Shimizu-san."

Takeda frowned, pushing up his glasses by the bridge. "Their ideas could help you two significantly on the field. At the very least, please hear what they have to offer."

Ennoshita hesitated beside him, rubbing a thumb over the cuffs holding his hands together. "I agree. We should hear what they have to say."

"You too?" _I thought we agreed to not like each other._ "Gimme one good reason why I should bother."

"We're going to be working together. Shouldn't we use the tools we have to our advantage? We don't have a choice about being... Connected," he hesitated on the word, reluctant to say it out loud. Tanaka couldn't blame him there; saying it felt weird, as if avoiding acknowledgment would make it go away somehow. "But we can choose to make the best of it."

The point wasn't half bad, loathe as Tanaka was to admit it. _Damn sensible types._ "Whatever. I'll hear 'em out, but this is a waste of time."

"That's all we can ask. We'll leave the prisoner in your care for this, Tanaka-kun. There's a skycar waiting outside programmed for your destination. I hope you will give this careful consideration."

* * *

"What's the hold-up?"

Ennoshita behind him hadn't moved two feet past the threshold outside the building, shielding his eyes from the sun with his cuffed arms. "It's been eight months since I've been outside. Let me have this moment."

Eight months indoors... No wonder he was staring at the sparse, dying plants lining the walkway in awe. "Is that why you look like a vampire? You're pale enough to reflect light."

"Aren't you hilarious." Despite the deadpan response he seemed content, eyes closed as he basked in the feeling of the sun on his face a few moments longer. "Thank you. Let's go."

Tanaka walked beside him, keeping a hand curled around his bicep. Ennoshita was still a prisoner in his custody; he couldn't risk him trying to run off, even if he didn't seem stupid enough to try. There was something pitiful about the way Ennoshita didn't struggle in the least, too familiar with being led around and under watch. _The hell did this guy do to end up in a cell?_ "You won't be liking the sun in a few minutes dressed like that, Count Gothula."

"I didn't exactly have plans to go out. If you- Please don't tell me that's the skycar we're taking."

"Your ride, sir," Tanaka grinned, opening the door to the backseat of the police skycar. "Equipped with the best safety locks and cage divider so you can ride in luxury." He made a grand bow as he held the door open.

"Great. Feels like home," he reflected the sarcasm, settling into the car.

Tanaka jumped into the front, the thick mesh cage separating them. With a click of the key Takeda gave him, the car lifted into the air, driving itself along the set course. "So when are you gonna tell me what you got locked up for?"

"You still haven't read my profile? And shouldn't you keep your hands by the emergency controls?"

Tanaka ignored the suggestion, instead propping his feet up on the dashboard and folding his arms behind his head. "Told you, it's better to get to know a guy by talkin' to 'im."

"Well then, I don't completely agree. You should have at least read the profile for a convict."

"See? This is why you piss me off." Right when he thought maybe, just maybe, they could get along, he had to go and get evasive and be a jackass while doing so. "I say 'I'm going to save people,' you say 'let's run away'. I say 'I wanna get to know someone naturally', you say 'go read about 'em instead'. I gave you the chance to give me your story in your own words, and you'd rather be an asshole about it."

"And that's why _you_ piss _me_ off," Ennoshita replied, his calm tone only fueling Tanaka's growing irritation. "Like I said with Takeda-san, why not use the tools we have to our advantage? If I can learn about my team before meeting them, I'm going to do just that. Maybe being reckless is how you like to do things, but with what I do, preparation is 80% of the job. And I know what I can handle. If that fire was real, you'd probably be dead. How many people would you have saved if-"

The thud as he slammed his fist against the mesh cage was dull, but it was enough to startle the prisoner. "At least I fucking tried!" he shouted, and Ennoshita shrank in the backseat. "You would have been okay with fucking standing there while people got hurt. That'd be on your damn conscience cause you'd rather play with locked doors than take a damn chance!"

The silence that followed was disappointing. Maybe a good argument would clear some of the air, _maybe_ even make him respect him a little if he could just show some damn backbone. But instead, Ghost stayed true to his nickname - quiet, fading into the background as he stared out the window instead of fighting back.

When he finally spoke, it was too soft, barely breaking the heavy silence that settled between them along with the mesh cage. "So that's what this is about."

"The hell you going on about now?"

"I was wrong when I assumed the type of person you'd be by your profile. I can admit that. But I still think your profile says a lot about you. I don't know how sensitive the subject is, but about the ambush..." Eight dead, three missing, and not a single trace of who attacked and where the others were. His team and his arm were gone in an instant and replaced with too many questions. He didn't mind talking about it; it was a moment that changed his life - every damn aspect of it, including his outlook, his family, and his career. But there was a difference between asking about it personally and reading about it from some list. It was his life, his story to tell, not just another impersonal paragraph on a datapad. "Being the only survivor... It probably left you feeling helpless. When the fire started, your heart didn't start to race until we heard shouting about the people upstairs. You couldn't save your team, so now you're willing to carelessly risk your life to save anyone else."

_Isn't he just so damn clever._ "Leave the psychology bullshit to Yachi. I don't need a reason to do whatever I can to save someone. And neither should anyone else."

"You're right. And that includes stopping someone from needlessly sacrificing themselves. Next time you try to risk your life in the heat of the moment because you didn't want to think first, I'll do anything I can to stop you."

_Great._ Now that he was finally showing some backbone, he was saying everything Tanaka didn't want to hear. "Oh, so you just want to get in my fucking way-"

"He is implying that he would prefer you not die without reasonable cause," a third voice rang in his ear from the communicator, the cheerful tone out of place in the midst of the hostility.

Tanaka clicked his communicator out of habit; whoever had been listening didn't need that so far. "Who are you? How are you hearing us?"

"I am Karasuno Operations Unit Support Holographic Intelligence, otherwise known as KOUSHI." _Holographic Intelli- The AI?_ Tanaka hadn't noticed at first, but now he could hear the synthetic undertone if he focused on it. "The one referred to as 'Ghost' had been activating his communicator."

"Why're ya broadcastin' our fight like that?"

"It's not like that. I knew we'd be in range soon and wanted to speak with the AI. Sorry you had to hear that, Koushi. And please, _please,_ call me Ennoshita."

"You realize you're apologizing to a robot, right?"

"My, my. Tanaka is quite rude!" Synthetic undertone aside, it was hard not to imagine a person on the other side of the voice. He sounded too chipper, not at all like the monotonous virtual intelligences any other ship would be equipped with. "I, too, would prefer to be called a different name. Please call me 'Suga'."

"Why 'Suga'?"

"I'd like to answer that, but our time is limited. The vicinity around Nekoma Tech is equipped to interrupt communicators. Tanaka, it is best advised to uncuff Ennoshita before entering Nekoma Tech to avoid drawing attention."

"Who cares if he draws attention?"

"His secrecy is his weapon. Though some may know his identity, most do not, including those who may have access to their security cameras legally or otherwi-"

The abrupt silence hung in the air for a moment. "Where'd he go?"

"He must have cut out. We should be close, then." Their destination came into view, a seemingly ordinary research facility six floors high surrounded by large warehouses. "He has a point, though. Nekoma Tech's security may be better than most, but it isn't flawless."

"Fine." Tanaka shuffled through his pocket for the transmitter, hovering over the button before twisting the dial instead. Ennoshita instantly sank out of his peripheral vision with a heavy thud as the handcuffs thrust him to the ground. "Whoops. Wrong button."

"I seriously dislike you."   

* * *

The AI's chipper tone had an effect on them; the hostility was almost forgotten, left behind in the skycar. Sure, Tanaka was still pissed, but he felt a bit less inclined to suplex the prisoner into the ground. "Why're ya so excited about this place anyways?"  

It was hard to miss the way Ennoshita's eyes lit up as he looked around the simple, white hallways, peeking into the windows of each room they passed to watch the researchers in their long white coats working on whatever crazy projects they were up to. "Why shouldn't I be? Their tech is always extraordinary. This location in particular is responsible for a lot of what Karasuno uses in their armor and weapons, among other things."

"Yeah, I know a thing or two about that." Tanaka flexed the fingers on his left hand; the motions of each joint were flawless, but the pressure wasn't perfect unless he focused solely on it. It was still better than what most other amputees could get. "That reminds me, if we see a short- Er, not-so-tall guy, cute with big brown eyes, we gotta move fast."

Ennoshita raised an eyebrow at him as he finished rolling his sleeves up to his elbows. "Should I ask?"

"He made the arm. If he sees me, he won't stop hounding me with questions. Have to deal with it every few months." Tanaka glared at a familiar security guard as he passed, raising his arms to say 'come at me'. It was pretty much a ritual at this point; the guard with the stupid hair - blond with two black stripes - would always glare back, silently fuming as he was powerless to do nothing against Yaku's precious guest.

"Quit that." Ennoshita tugged the back of his shirt, nudging him to the left. "Let's take the stairs. I need to stretch my legs."

"You been here before? Seems like you know your way around."

"Once or twice."

Tanaka gave no argument, for once; they were less likely to run into Yaku or his freakishly tall lackey if they took the abandoned staircase. He let Ennoshita lead the way, enjoying the view as they climbed the stairs. _Not bad._ "Why're they workin' on this anyway? You'd think they'd be lookin' for ways for people to find their Connected."  

"People have been trying for decades. A lot of privately funded organizations are still trying. So far, no one's been able to prove if everyone even has a Connected, let alone a way to find them if they were. Either it's an uncommon occurrence, or there are too many people spread apart for everyone to find theirs. Granted, people who are Connected seem to always find a way back to each other, so it's more likely the former. Besides, the research is too risky. Animal research has proven nothing, and too often they resort to human experimentation."

"That's shitty." Tanaka preferred the idea of finding Connected naturally anyway; it was more romantic. Not that it worked out for him. "Why are people still funding it then?"

"It's hopeless romantics with too much money and not enough common sense. Even if it worked, what then? It's not likely they'll fall in love. They may not even like each other. Exhibit A." He gestured between the two of them. "Last I read, most research was focused on trying to find ways to simulate Connected instead. Again, no solid results reported."

Ennoshita hesitated before their destination, a door with a brushed metal plaque. "Maybe this wasn't a good idea." Tanaka didn't get to read the sign past 'Kur-' as the door swung open, revealing a mess of black hair, golden eyes, and a wicked grin that could rival his own.  

"Look who made it. Come in, come in." A hand shot out to shake Ennoshita's without warning, tugging him into an office filled with monitors and a desk littered with datapads. He gave Tanaka a nod as he kept a hand on Ennoshita's shoulder. "I'm Kuroo Testurou, armor specialist. We finally get to meet in person! I couldn't believe it when Takeda-san told me it was you who was Connected, Ghost."

By the time Tanaka registered the familiar device Kuroo pulled from his lab coat pocket, the armor specialist had already moved. Ignoring Ennoshita's surprised yelp, Kuroo pulled the prisoner's arms behind his back and with a click of the twin remote, the handcuffs were together again. "Hope you don't mind. I'm the one that made these just for you. Kept the extra transmitter in case a special occasion like this came along. Want to make sure nothing else leaves this building unpermitted." He turned the dial three clicks - not enough to throw Ennoshita to the ground, but enough that he gave no resistance when Kuroo pushed him into a chair.

Ennoshita looked away, hiding his embarrassed blush and refusing to meet either of the other men's gazes. It was too bad, cause if he could see Tanaka's face, he'd know he was doing his best to hold in his laughter. It was taking a damn lot of willpower. "Takeda said you had a proposition for us."

"Nice subject change." Kuroo sat in a chair across from them in front of a collection of monitors, gesturing to another near Ennoshita for Tanaka. "I'll get straight to the point. We've got a way to augment the Connected bond so you two can sense where each other are more precisely, and from further away."

Tanaka plopped into the chair, scooting it closer to Ennoshita. As much as the guy pissed him off, there was something comforting about being near him. Maybe it was the heartbeat in sync with his own when he focused on it. "Hold on. That's not one of those things that'll happen over time?"

"Nope. You're new to this, right? How much do you know about being Connected?"

Enough to know the first time he felt someone else's heartbeat quicken, it wasn't for him. "I could use a refresher on some of the details."

Kuroo was all too ready to jump right into the explanation. "There's what science can explain, and what it can't. Let's start with what it can't. You've already felt it, but you can sense your partner's heartbeat if it grows erratic and you're close enough. You can sense it when it's calm if you focus, too, if you really want." Tanaka stifled a yawn, regretting asking already. He propped his elbow on the desk, resting his cheek against his fist as Kuroo droned on. "A lot of people over time also report being able to discern their partner's emotions to a degree. Let's say you're in a room nearby, and Ghost is watching something sad on a monitor." Tanaka's gaze wandered to the prisoner next to him, watching a stray strand of hair fall in front of his eyes. "No change to his heart rate, but you just know he's feeling sad about something."

"That sounds overwhelming," Ennoshita piped in, pausing to blow at the piece of hair. It bounced right back in front of his eyes, determined to be a nuisance. "Wouldn't feeling someone else all the time be too much?"

"You'd think so. Almost everyone seems fine with it. They say it feels natural. Every now and then you get someone too sensitive to it, but that usually goes hand-in-hand with severe emotional disorders. You two should be fine."  

Kuroo fiddled with a stylus in his hand, spinning it between his fingers as he continued. "As for what science _can_ explain - your pheromones have an additional calming effect on each other. General contact will relax you, similar to the scent of lavender."

_If I wanted a boring lecture, I'd've gone back to college._ Tanaka tuned most of the explanation out, intent on watching the prisoner struggle with the stray hair instead. _It’s starting to frustrate me just watching it._ Tanaka stopped resisting the urge and reached out, brushing the hair from Ennoshita's eyes for him. Dark brown eyes glanced at him, wide with confusion before Ennoshita quickly turned back to Kuroo without a word. _Yeah, you're welcome, jackass._

"And then there's mouth contact - you're familiar with the 'sharing a breath' concept, I assume. When you're relaxed your respiration rate decreases, so you're consuming less oxygen and producing less carbon dioxide. Mouth contact with your Connected exaggerates this effect, causing your respiratory system to mimic a total meditative state."

Tanaka was grateful Ennoshita spoke up because most of the words flew over his head. "Why mouth contact specifically?"

"Jacobson's organ, right up here." Kuroo stopped twirling the stylus to tap the roof of his mouth with it. "Everyone's got 'em, but they're useless. Senses pheromones, but only works with Connected pheromones. We even tried manufacturing artificial Jacobson's organs so we have the normal mammalian and reptilian two. It didn't have any effect, Connected or otherwise. But I'm getting off track; the point is, if you're in an emergency situation and need to preserve oxygen, you'll wanna pucker up."

_Kissing, huh?_ The guy was an ass, but he wasn't too bad looking. He could stand to kiss him - if it were an emergency, that is. The thought was pretty funny, though; he could imagine the scowl Ennoshita would have as he reluctantly leaned in, his pale lips so close to-

"I'd rather not think about that."

"Oi! What's so bad about kissing me?!"

"I meant the 'emergency and lack of air' part, but honestly, kissing you doesn't sound much better."

"Hey, I'm damn good at-"

"I have another question," Ennoshita interrupted, turning back to Kuroo. "If you can't explain how we can sense each other, then how do you plan to enhance that?"

"Ah, young love," Kuroo feigned a sigh before continuing. "We may not know _how_ it works, but we know _where_ it works. The heart is heavily affected, but the source of the connection is actually located near the brainstem. Kenma developed a chip to place there that'll augment the effects. The procedure is simple, and you'd be up and walking around again in a day. You'd need to be out of action for a week, maybe two at most."

_Is naptime over yet?_ Tanaka stretched his arms as he yawned, 'accidentally' elbowing Ennoshita in the shoulder and rewarded with an irritated huff. "Still haven't told us why we should bother with this. Don't need to be Connected with someone to fight with them on the field. Your procedure sounds like a waste of my time."

Kuroo tucked the stylus behind his ear and spun in his chair to face one of the larger monitors behind him, fingers skittering quickly across the keyboard. The display on the monitor changed to a video with two familiar figures fighting in a combat simulator arena, both intimidating in the confidence of their every move. The soldier carrying his massive gun so effortlessly was particularly frightening. "Hey, I know them. That's Captain Ushijima from Shiratorizawa, and..." He squinted his eyes at the screen, trying to recall the name of the soldier with the lazy smirk and mess of red hair, "and that other asshole."

"I think the word you're looking for is 'Lieutenant'. Captain Ushijima and Lieutenant Tendou are the first Connected pair to get the chips." The two on the video fought side by side flawlessly, the holographic opponents falling at their feet two by two. Even more impressive was the way they covered each other as they split up; despite the walls between them across the map, when the enemies swarmed one of them, the other was able to find him without hesitation. "Doesn't seem like much now, but you'll see. Especially with Ghost - knowing where your buddy there is without having to look around for him will help you more than you know since he'll be sneaking around the place. His stealth armor- which he stole from us, if he hasn't mentioned that yet- will make him completely invisible. It uses mirrors to- I'm getting off track again. Point is, you'll be able to cover him without having to give away his location."

_So he's a thief? And he got past Nekoma's security? All right, I might be impressed._ Not that he approved of stealing, but Nekoma made some of the best security around. They needed it, with all the weird, advanced crap they made for groups like theirs and Shiratorizawa's. _Still surprised, even if he's locked up. He looks like the type of goody-two-shoes that would cry if he got detention in school._

Kuroo paused the screen, glancing over his shoulder to smirk at them. "This is where it gets interesting. Your 'feelings sense' I mentioned might also become more specific; that bit's a little harder to describe. That actually wasn't intended - we don't know enough to do that on purpose. But these two reported their senses have become sharp enough that they can sort of communicate without actually saying anything. Not enough to get any specific ideas across, but enough for one to think 'Hey, look over here' and the other will sense 'I think he wants me to look over there'."

"Are you sure it's not just a well-timed coincidence?" Ennoshita asked. "That doesn't seem like much to go on, honestly."

"We assumed the same thing, but they insisted there was more to it. So we decided to try it out here." He grabbed the stylus from behind his ear and pointed at the screen. "They have their helmets off so we could watch their faces for reactions. Let's put this in slow-mo. Right here is when we privately told Captain Ushijima to turn against Lieutenant Tendou." He tapped the stylus over the lieutenant. "Watch." The video quality wasn't great, but the alarm on Tendou's face when he realized something was off was clear as a bell. He tumbled out of Ushijima's view before the captain was even facing him, putting a wall between them in time before he fired.

From the corner of his eye, Tanaka could see Ennoshita's look of disbelief that mirrored his own. Not only must he have truly ‘sensed’ the betrayal, he sensed it immediately, and reacted as quickly.

"When we asked him after, he said he knew Captain Ushijima would never turn on him, yet in that moment he felt what was coming, as if he was telling him 'I'm going to attack you'. That 'feelings sense' only becomes so precise when it's really vital, but they've reported it happening thrice now, excluding this. Can't say yours would ever get that sharp; they've been on the field together for years, and their relationship is more than work-related. But there's a chance it could happen to you, too, and maybe save your asses in a pinch when you can't use your communicators."

"You keep talkin' like we're accepting," Tanaka grumbled as he folded his arms across his chest. Sure, it was impressive. But did they really need it? He didn't even like his Connected; making their 'bond' stronger was the last thing he wanted. Overall, it seemed like more of a distraction and a waste of two weeks recovering instead of training. Or worse, the ship was almost ready - they could get a mission assignment and he'd be stuck watching them instead of fighting.

"I think we should take it." Ennoshita's remark was soft, almost timid. "He has a point. You won't be able to see me at all with the stealth armor. I can use that to cover you, but if we need me to sneak further into a base, I'll need that back-up in turn."

"Can't the AI just tell me where you are?"

"Assuming we're in range, yes. But if I'm in a situation where I need the back-up, chances are the next few moments will be crucial. Can you really afford the time spent communicating to try and find me?"

Tanaka kicked away from the desk to rise to his feet. "Let's find out. We're going to the combat simulator." Fiddling with the transmitter in his pocket, the cuffs returned to their default weight as they separated. Ennoshita sighed with relief as he stretched his arms over his head, unaware of the hand about to yank his wrist. "Just one thing first." In one fluid motion, Tanaka twisted the prisoner's arm behind his back and shoved him against the desk. The stray strands of hair falling in front of his face weren't enough to hide the confusion in his eyes. "I'm done playing by your rules. You want me to do this? First, you gotta tell me what you did. I ain't gonna work with someone who won't be up front with me."

With his chest pinned against the desk, Ennoshita struggled in vain to move against the forearm against his back holding him down. "Kuroo-san told you! I stole the stealth armor!" he exclaimed, an edge of panic in his voice.

Tanaka could feel the prisoner's heart pick up speed. _Now it reacts to me. Go figure._ "I'm not a moron, asshole. They don't lock you up like this for stealing some armor, even if it's from here. There's more to it, and you're gonna tell me what it is, or I'm gonna throw you back in your cell and we'll never talk about this enhancement bullshit again."

"Hey, settle down or I'll call security." Kuroo rose to his feet, hand hovering by the intercom on his desk.

"You hear that, _Ghost?_ Tell me what you stole besides the armor before I get us thrown out!"

"Information, okay? I stole information!"

"Eh?" _Why the hell would they lock him up for that?_ "What kind of information?"

"All kinds. From everywhere. Military, research organizations, colony governments, personal information from people in power. And I sold most of it to Seijou."

He eased on the pressure against Ennoshita's back. "You're tellin' me you're a Seijou agent?" _Seijou's real?_ As far as he knew, they were a myth. It was said the group knew everything about everyone, and their agents hidden everywhere gathered any tidbit of data they could get their hands on. Rumors also said that for the right price, anyone could buy that information; learning someone's secrets was just a matter of money. The even crazier rumors suggested their leader knew enough to play any planet's governments into their hands - a Grand King that ruled the star system. But it was all supposed to be rumors, a boogeyman to keep cheating lovers and corrupt businessmen in check for fear that someone was watching them.

"More like a freelancer,” Ennoshita replied as he breathed with relief, the beat of his heart slowing back to normal. “I never worked under their orders, only gave them whatever I found on my own. Happy now?"

_No wonder Karasuno's hellbent on him working for us._ Regardless of what he took, stealing from those types of well-secured areas was one hell of a feat. Tanaka released his wrist in favor of grabbing his bicep to help pull him up. "You really stole from all those places?" he asked with a hint of admiration.

Ennoshita rubbed at his arm, turning his head to try and hide the quirk of his lips. "And that was before I stole the stealth armor."

He felt a strange sense of pride well up in his chest. _Damn. My Connected's a badass._

"That's pretty badass," he repeated out loud.

"It's thanks to him we were able to improve our security system," Kuroo chimed in. "He showed us the holes it had. We weren't even the ones that caught him. The detectives were after him for over a year. He just kept vanishing. It's why they call him 'Ghost'." _Sounds like he's playing wingman for him._

The master thief bashfully tugged a strand of hair as he refused to meet his gaze. _He sucks at gloating. It's kinda cute._ He cleared his throat, hiding his growing proud smile behind his hand. "So, about that combat simulator?"

* * *

"Here to get your ass kicked again?"

The lowest underground floor of Nekoma Tech housed the decent-sized arena, the open room bare and lifeless until the holograms painted it with a variety of maps to choose from. Be it outdoor places like open forests to closed buildings like the research facility they were in, with only a few button presses from the control panel the empty arena transformed into whatever the combatants desired. In the glass balcony overhead sat the control panel, but the stuffy equipment room below was where Tanaka was guaranteed to find one of his closest friends.

"He's not here for a duel today, Yamamoto-san," a voice called through the intercom before Tanaka got the chance to rise to the challenge. "The stealth armor has been authorized for you, Ghost."

Yamamoto stepped closer, baring his teeth at Ennoshita. "Ghost? The guy that made an ass out of my security team?" If anyone thought Tanaka looked like a punk, Yamamoto was even worse with his mohawk and the damn impressive glare he was giving the shrinking Ennoshita. Tanaka was one of the few that knew who he really was: a damn softie who cried at soap operas and had too many pet cats. "You've got some nerve comin-"

"Chill, Tora," Tanaka cut in, stepping in front of Ennoshita. "He's with me."

Yamamoto's eyes flickered between Tanaka and his companion. "Eh?"

"We'll talk about it later. Got my baby?"

Ennoshita raised an eyebrow at him. "Your what?"

"You'll see," he answered, flashing him a grin. _My time to show off._

Putting on the armor was time-consuming, but the time spent only hyped him up for whatever fight was to come. Getting the fake arm through a sleeve could be tough, but with Tora's help, the gear modified just for him was eventually secured in place. It was heavy from the thick plating covering most of it, but a welcomed weight.

He hadn't expected the stealth armor to take just as much time. He also hadn't expected the sight of Ennoshita in the armor when he retreated from the equipment room; the black from neck to toe was no different from his other getup, but it was _tight._ The sleek armor hugging his form had to be made with agility in mind. _Got enough padding to take two, maybe three shots if his energy shields take a beating._ "I've never tried a combat sim before. Or any fighting, for that matter," Ennoshita confessed, rubbing his gloved thumb over the helmet in his hands.

"You've got armor and a weapon, but you've never been in a fight?"

"Only target practice. Ukai-san's given me the gist of what I should do if need to fight, but we didn't expect me to take the field beyond infiltrating."

"Then let's throw you into the deep end. Oi, Yamaguchi," he called up to the control room, "set it to level seven."

Despite how frequently Tanaka found himself in the arena for practice or dueling Yamamoto, he didn't know much about Yamaguchi other than he was pretty cute with all those freckles, but a bit too timid for his tastes. "Sure thing, Tanaka-san."

The rearrangeable partitions under the platform raised up, and soon the arena was covered in the holographic backdrop, taking the appearance of a cramped warehouse with crates stacked top to bottom. "You ready?"

"Not quite," he said before turning towards the control room. "Yamaguchi, was it? Do you have any options with guarded checkpoints?"

"Yes, I'll start it up!"

"The hell? Why?"

"The reason I'm here is so I can sneak in and grab whatever it is we need before it gets moved or destroyed. The moment I'm noticed is the moment we lose that opportunity, and I probably get killed. I sacrifice shields and plating for the invisibility. I'm going to aim for the checkpoint, and we'll see if you can keep me covered. Yamaguchi, please give him the advantage and let him know if I'm under attack."

"Yes, sir!"

Ennoshita pulled the helmet over his head, snapping it into place. With a few taps at who-knows-what on his wrist and neck, the sound of hundreds of tiny _click_ ’s rang out - and he disappeared, the only trace of him still nearby was his voice. "Try not to shoot me."

"I'm activating the enemies now, Tanaka-san!"

_This'll be no sweat._ He took cover behind a wall as two, three, four holographic opponents locked onto him one by one. Crouch, aim, shoot. Charge, tumble, cover. It was child's play to him, his energy shields barely taking a dent as he surged forward and took each new incoming rival out with his mock assault rifle.

"Tanaka-san, they're alerted to his presence!"

"Where is he?"

"Northwest to your location."

Knocking a few holograms out of the way,- _No time to take them out!-_ he pushed forward as quickly as the heavy armor would allow, ignoring the shots at his shields until-

"Target down. Mission failed."

Ennoshita stepped forward from behind the partition. _Damn, I was so close._ "What did I say?"

"One more time."

The simulation began again, and again Tanaka charged forward, spending less time covering himself and instead looking for his invisible squadmate. _Where the hell is he?_ "He's captured the objective, he's on his way- He's been spotted! To your right!"

Tanaka found him just in time to see him take the last shot. "Target down. Mission failed."

"I thought you were some kind of master infiltrator?"

"For quiet buildings where they'd arrest me before shooting. I planned weeks in advance for my thefts. That's not what Karasuno's going to send us into. The moment my energy shields take a hit, the invisibility deactivates."

"One more time, damn it."

"If you insist."

One more time the opponents surged forward. One more time, he pushed through, trying to follow the vague heartbeat. _It's nearby but I can't feel where._ One more time, Yamaguchi had bad news to deliver. "Objective capt- Target down. Sorry Tanaka-san, they were too quick this time."

"About those enhancements..." Ennoshita pulled off his helmet as he stepped forward, his dark hair sticking to his sweaty forehead. "You failed to save me three times."

_Failed to save...?_ "Let's do it."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tanaka's armor looks something like [this](http://i.imgur.com/7BED88p.jpg), and Ennoshita's armor is more like [this](http://i.imgur.com/aUtGMJc.png) but all black and without the lights.


	3. secrets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just about everyone had secrets. The bigger the secret, the more someone was willing to pay to keep it covered up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kind of a warning: Throughout the fic we're going to see some darker elements sometimes found in sci-fi, like vague mentions of human experimentation or encounters with slavers. Didn't want to tag it since they're not graphic, but don't want them to be a surprise to anyone uncomfortable with that, either.
> 
> Word count: 9220

Just about everyone had secrets. The bigger the secret, the more someone was willing to pay to keep it covered up - or to expose someone else. That was the key to Seijou's power and wealth. They knew almost anything about anyone, but if Ennoshita could find the rare new bit of information, they paid handsomely. The trick was knowing where to look.

“-the procedures simultaneously at Kozume-san's suggestion. You'll be under for only ten to fifteen minutes. You may feel some drowsiness for a few days-”

_Doctor Nakashima Takeru - Married, four adopted children, three siblings, parents still together. He runs a free but illegal clinic on the side for underground mercenary groups. Seijou knew but still paid for copies of patient records. They paid the most for Johzenji's._

“-have a room set up for you here at Wakutani so you don’t need to be transported around unnecessarily. Takeda-san insists you'll stay here until the ship is ready in the next week or so.”

_Wakutani Hospital - Good reputation to the public. Files about early human experiments found collecting dust in the basement. Seijou paid enough for those faded papers that I could have gone two, maybe three years without another job. But it was never about the money._

“Kozume-san here is the one who developed the chips. He’ll be observing the procedure.”

_Kozume Kenma - Researcher at Nekoma Tech, recently focused on enhancements for Connected. Never looked into him because I had no interest in anything Connected-related. Go figure. His interest was sudden; he was involved in virtual and artificial intelligence research before. Bet there's something to it that Seijou would pay to know. But I'm not a thief anymore._

“Nurse Tsukishima will be assisting me. Doctor Kawatabi will be assisted by Nurse Kunimi.”

_Tsukishima Kei - Working for Wakutani currently, but recruited by Karasuno Operations for both his medical and combat expertise. Excellent marks in college and originally intent on becoming a doctor, but settled with a nursing degree. Could be some reason there worthwhile to Seijou. I only know all that from his profile, though. I think I recognize him from the day of the fire._

“Any questions?”

“This is- This is safe, yeah? No chances of screw-ups?”

_Tanaka Ryuunosuke - Formerly a soldier, legally declared dead after his team was ambushed to protect him from possible returning threats. Apparently scared of anything hospital related despite his past injuries._ It wasn't just the repeated anxious questions giving it away; his heartbeat and shaking leg were both rapid.

“As safe as it can get, Tanaka-san. You have a far greater chance of falling down the stairs from the drowsiness afterward. Anything else before we begin?”

"I think we're ready," Ennoshita replied before Tanaka could paraphrase the question for the seventh time. The doctors and nurses turned to their tables, readying the tools they needed. Ennoshita tried to focus on the gentle hum and occasional beeps of the machines, the snap of latex gloves, and the soft _ting_ of the steel surgical tools instead of Tanaka's quick heartbeat. "I can’t believe you're scared. I thought you were the type to run in with guns blazing."

"I ain't scared. Just- I don't like hospital shit, okay?" he muttered, too quietly for a Tanaka response. _I feel guilty. I practically manipulated him into this._ Tanaka, as frustrating as he could be, was supposed to be a storm of energy and emotion; this trembling Tanaka sitting on the medical bed beside his own was difficult to watch. "I thought Connected were supposed to help relax or somethin'."

"Only a little, if we were closer. It can't cure fear." Maybe mouth contact could help enough, but there was no way that was happening; he didn't feel that guilty. "Focus on my heartbeat."

"How come you're so calm?"

"Practice," Ennoshita confessed. "On my jobs, I needed perfect control over my breathing and movements. Heavy breathing or a small misstep could give my location away."

Tanaka's face lit up for a brief moment, but his interest in Ennoshita's past was forgotten when Doctor Nakashima spoke again. "If you two would please sit back, and rest your heads against the braces."

Kozume's voice was so quiet, Ennoshita almost missed it. "You could hold hands." Golden eyes looked up at them from behind a curtain of blond and black before quickly glancing back down to his datapad. "Pressure provides comfort."

"Thank you for the suggestion, but that won't be nece-"

"C-can we?"

_He's kidding, right?_

From the corner of his eye, Ennoshita could see Tanaka nervously glance between him and the nurses.

_He's serious. This grown man wants to hold hands because he's scared._

_But he's going through with this so he can help me._

"Fine. But I won’t forget this next time you're being an ass to me."

"Deal."

Settling back to rest his head on the brace, Ennoshita held out his hand loosely over the side of the bed as the doctor placed the sleeping gas mask over his face.

_Breathe in - One, two, three, four._

Tanaka clasped the hand hard, lacing their fingers together tightly.

_Breathe out - Four, three, two, one._

Tanaka's palm was sweaty and his calloused fingertips roughly brushed against Ennoshita's knuckles, but his heartbeat was finally starting to relax.

_Breathe in - One, two,_

* * *

In eleven minutes, the procedure was done. In half a minute, Ennoshita's groggy mind registered the loose grip on his hand and pulled away before Tanaka could bring any attention to it. In half an hour, he was moved to a new locked room elsewhere in the hospital.

In twelve days, he had no visitors besides the hospital staff.

No Takeda with new mission details. No Ukai to discuss strategies for various scenarios. No Kinoshita to chat about the world outside, no Narita listening and adding a dry remark here or there. And no Tanaka; no Tanaka to argue with him, or toy around with his handcuffs, or jerk him around to places on Ukai's orders.

"No Tanaka to discuss these videos with," he sighed, slipping back into the habit of speaking his thoughts to fill the silence. "At least the ship should be ready today."

Even if he hadn't had a chance to see how the enhancements were working, they'd already helped him; Karasuno Ops. and its affiliates saw his choice to get the chip as a sign of good faith and was guarded a little less heavily. _Or maybe they have some way to track me with the chip._ No locking his handcuffs, no security guards following the nurses as if he was ready to pounce; his room was even an ordinary hospital room with a window, albeit locked from the outside.

The greatest new privilege was a gift from Kozume, presented without a word: a simple handheld video player. It only had a few unnamed videos, each a recording from the combat simulator, but they gave him plenty to mull over. Hitting replay on the screen, Ennoshita attempted to follow his stealthed path the best he could on the recording for the umpteenth time. "If only I moved to the right there..." The holographic enemies used motion detection, but that was nothing new to him. What was new to him was the time restraint; sure, he couldn't take too much time before when he was on a job, but he could still move at his own pace as long as no one was alerted to his presence. But with other people fighting while he worked... "Tanaka gets more reckless with each attempt."

"Is there... someone else there?" the nurse poking her head into the room asked cautiously, scanning for another person.

"Ah, no, I was..." Ennoshita covered his mouth with his fist, awkwardly clearing his throat before pointing at the video player. "This."

"Uh... huh. You, uh, have a visitor?"

"Alright. Um... Send him in, I guess?" _Great, I've just given Tanaka fuel to tease me._

_But shouldn't I have felt him coming?_

A familiar figure walked past the threshold, and Ennoshita never thought he'd ever been so horrified to think _That's not Tanaka._ And some part of him had a twisted enough sense of humor to think _So, my place it is, then._

The handsome man from two weeks prior shut the door behind him, stepping closer to offer his hand. "Ennoshita, right? I'm Sawamura Daichi. Sorry I haven't had a chance to talk to you sooner."

_The hot guy is my captain, and he heard me talking to myself._ Ennoshita barely managed to suppress a pathetic whimper. _But he didn't call me 'Ghost'. He just became my favorite member of the team._ He got on his feet to shake the hand in front of him. "Ennoshita Chikara. It's nice to finally meet you properly. I'd offer a seat, but there's only the bed." _Nice, Chikara. Not awkward at all._

"That's fine. I won't take too much of your time." Sawamura's handshake was firm, clasping his other hand over them before dropping the grip. "How much do you know about what we'll be doing?"

Despite the rest of him fitting the appearance of 'captain', his kind eyes and smile were welcoming; Ennoshita assumed a captain would seem strict, demanding, and a step above everyone, but so far Sawamura seemed as human as anyone else. "I'm pretty familiar with most details. Similar missions to Shiratorizawa, but a smaller team and ship so we draw less attention when following leads and approaching enemy locations. We'll need to hit hard and quick to make up for the lack of firepower and defense."

Sawamura nodded in confirmation. "We'll mostly be sent to check out any suspicious activity Dateko and Shiratorizawa hear about. If we get caught in situations where we can't wait for back-up, our team will be able to handle it just fine."

"You're... confident, then? In our team? We haven't had a chance to work together yet."

"It won't be smooth from the start," Sawamura replied, confident, undeterred by the challenge. "I hear you and Tanaka are having trouble getting along."

"A bit, yes," Ennoshita confessed. "I can't say I care for him, and I don't think he cares for me, either."

The captain smiled, amused. "He doesn't like anyone when he meets them."

"Mm. I heard Ukai-san say the same thing." _Overheard it, actually, when Tanaka was complaining about me._

"Tanaka can be a handful, but there's no one better to have your back on the field." Sawamura folded his arms across his chest, determination set in his pretty, brown eyes. "We'll all need some time to get used to each other, but Ukai-san and Takeda-san were clever in building this team. With practice, we'll easily be able to take on any mission Shiratorizawa can handle."

_When he says it so confidently, I almost believe it myself._ "Do you really trust Ukai-san and Takeda-san's choices for the team? There's..." Ennoshita hesitated, unsure of how much he should open up to a captain he just met. _But if I'm going to be working with these people, I should at least be able to assume they won't turn on me._ "There's a name on that list that doesn't have the best reputation."

Just about everyone had secrets. Sometimes the secrets a person held weren’t their own, but they'd pay the same price to keep it covered. The trick was knowing where to look.

"You're talking about the Cassardis massacre," Sawamura replied, quick and serious, the determination in his eyes immediately replaced with something dark.

_I feel like I just stepped too close to a landmine._ There was something there, something Sawamura felt strongly towards, enough to make him flip a switch from welcoming to a little bit terrifying. _If I was still a thief, I'd search there for something to sell to Seijou._ "I imagine there's more to it if Ukai-san was willing to recruit him," he covered up quickly.

"That's something we can talk about if he joins us."

_"If?_ You don't know yet?"

Sawamura shook his head. "He and his Connected might not show up. It's complicated." The corners of his lips turned downwards as he looked away towards the window. "We could really use the both of them."

"And if they don't show?"

"We'll need to recruit two more, most likely."

"Speaking of recruiting, Karasuno's methods are a bit strange. Most of us aren't technically qualified for this military-like position."

"That's why they recruited us. For most of us, it's giving us an opportunity. For instance, Tanaka can't serve the military anymore because of his arm, even if he's capable and willing."

_He keeps saying 'us'._ "What about you, Sawamura-san? With your record, you should qualify to captain a Shiratorizawa ship."

The pause before Sawamura simply replied with "That's a story for another time," was telling on its own. _Another place to search for secrets. Sawamura-san, how much are you hiding?_

"I apologize for overstepping my bounds. I should have thought before..." Ennoshita trailed off, something he couldn't put his finger on pulling his attention away.

Sawamura raised his brow in concern at the out-of-place pause. "Something wrong?"

"It's... a weird feeling. It's like there's..." Ennoshita scratched the back of his head lightly, the nails brushing over the thin scab from the procedure springing the thought to mind. "I think Tanaka's coming."

"You mean the thing Nekoma did is working?!" Sawamura stepped closer, putting a hand on Ennoshita's shoulder, and urging him to turn slightly, as if looking at the scab would give him the same perspective. "How can you tell? What's it like?"

"It's strange. I just know..." He closed his eyes, trying to follow the vague feeling. "It's like knowing where a room in your house is. You know it's there, even if you don't see it. Except it's moving."

"Where is he now?"

"Other side of the building, by the entrance but... two, maybe three floors away? He's on his way up."

_Is this really happening?_ He knew it should happen, there was no reason not to; but now that he was actually feeling it, the reality of the situation seemed to float away. _I'm Connected to someone, I can feel his heart when he's near, I know where he is even from this distance..._ Focusing on the new sensation growing closer, and the comfort of the heartbeat as he drew near, it was easy to forget that the owner of the heart was someone he'd rather not deal with.

Tanaka threw the door open, irritation biting his voice. "What are you two lookin' so shocked for? Did I walk in on somethin'?"

"Did you feel it?" Ennoshita asked excitedly as he moved closer, ignoring Tanaka's foul mood. "I could feel where you were coming from! I noticed it when-" With a click and a snap, the handcuffs forced together suddenly before Tanaka returned the transmitter to his pocket. "What's this for?!"

"For Daichi-san's protection. Don't want you gettin' handsy. I know how excited you get 'round him."

_Right. Forgot he’s a jerk for a moment there._ "Then let's hope you don't get scared in this big, bad hospital. My hands are too tied up to hold."

"Oh, you're really-"

"Oi."

The single syllable brought them both to attention instantly, forgetting their bickering in favor of facing the captain. "You two are part of a team now. If our team isn't unified, it could get us all killed. I'm not asking you to be friends, but you'll need to learn to work together. And Tanaka?"

"Yes, sir?"

"You've heard about Suga, haven't you?"

"Yes, sir."

"He responds to my commands. Do you know what that means?"

"Please elaborate, sir."

"It means I can activate the airlock without having to leave my chair."

Ennoshita bit his lip, trying to hide his smirk at Tanaka's weak whimper.

"Tanaka?"

"Y-yes, sir?"

"About those handcuffs."

After a moment of Tanaka shuffling through his pocket, the handcuffs were separated again. "Won't happen again, sir." _Sawamura-san is definitely my favorite so far._

"Good. Tanaka, what brings you here?"

"I came to get Ghost and bring 'im to the ship. They're movin' the last of the stuff now. Bokuto-san's lookin' for ya."

The way Sawamura closed his eyes and inhaled through his nose reminded Ennoshita of the mental preparation he needed before dealing with Tanaka. "Right. Bokuto."

"He said Kuroo-san was comin' to see ya off."

"Kuroo. And Bokuto." Sawamura turned toward the door, his tone solemn. "I'll be off, then." With a grim resignation in his step reminiscent of a movie hero about to make the ultimate sacrifice, he departed.

"You and Daichi-san were alone, huh?" Tanaka asked with a forced playfulness, failing to hide the bitter edge to his tone.

"What is this about, Tanaka? You were mad about that when you walked in, too."

"It's nothin'," he muttered. "Just pissy cause I saw that asshole nurse on the way here."

_I don't buy that, but I'm not going to argue with him right now._ "What 'asshole nurse'?"

"The tall one that rolled his eyes at me for the hand holdin' thing. Gave me a smug look in the hallway."

"You mean the nurse with the glasses?"

"Yeah, that guy."

_That'll be a fun surprise on the ship._ "So, why didn't you visit me? I thought you'd at least be curious about the enhancements."

"Don't like hospitals, remember?"

"Right. Sorry about that." Ennoshita felt a small pang of guilt; it was no wonder Tanaka was in a sour mood, frowning and refusing to meet his gaze. "Let me know if I'm overstepping my boundaries here, but... is there a reason you don't like hospitals?"

"No one in their right mind likes hospitals."

Ennoshita couldn't help the small quirk of his lips. "I didn't realize you were in your right mind."

Tanaka finally looked his way, a smile teasing his lips. "You got me there." He shoved his hands into his pockets, looking away again, but the irritation painting his features faded. "Just reminds me of the ambush," he began, softer than Ennoshita was used to hearing from him. "Usually I ain't too bothered by it. Don't wanna let it drag me down, ya know? But it doesn't always work like that. Sometimes good ol' optimism won't do it. I got lucky, though. Most times a thing like that would ruin a guy."

_He doesn't hide anything._ Just about everyone had secrets. But not Tanaka; secrets were a weight that held a person back, a burden that could only grow heavier with time. _And a weapon that could be used against him. He's safer this way._ Another pang of guilt hit Ennoshita as he resisted the urge to pat him on the shoulder, or any small motion of comfort. _With all his energy, it's easy to forget that he's suffered trauma._ "You're tough."

"Nah. Just lucky. Other guys freak out at loud noises or can't sleep for days. They're the tough ones for holdin' on. I just get nightmares sometimes." He paused, scuffing his foot against the tile floor. "And don't like hospitals."

_As much as I like seeing a softer side to him, it feels wrong here._ Tanaka was supposed to be a raging fire, burning brightly and hard to control, but in this hospital, he was a dull candle flame. "The ship's ready, right? I only have a few things to throw into a bag. Let's get out of here."

"Best damn thing you've said yet."

* * *

"It's beautiful, huh?"

"Huh? Oh, sure." Ennoshita wasn't one for ships; he liked being in one, watching the stars through the windows as they floated on by. The frigate before them looked nice, and it would certainly be more comfortable to travel in compared to the average transport ship. But other than that, he wasn't sure what the appeal was.

"What're ya lookin' at?"

He couldn't say a ship was 'beautiful', but that Fukurodani mechanic across the garage, on the other hand... "N-nothing."

"Ya sure? Cause it looks to me like you're lookin' at that guy over there," Tanaka teased.

The mechanic raised his head in time to catch Ennoshita blatantly staring at the heavy-lidded eyes and dark curls. He remained expressionless, blinking at Ennoshita before turning away.

Ennoshita whimpered, burying his face in his hands. "I'm so awkward."

"Damn. I can't blame ya for that one. He's pretty for a guy."

"Can we not talk about the 'pretty guy’ that caught me staring?"

"But it's fun watching you squirm a bit."

The ship door in front of them lifted on its own accord, drawing their attention. "If this were a movie, it could go one of two ways. One, it's an adventure flick, and that's a welcoming sign. Two, it's a horror movie, and we get locked in with some monster and die horribly."

Despite Tanaka's grin promising trouble, it was nice to see it again. "Ready to find out?"

"We probably shouldn't go in without Sawamura-san's permission."

Tanaka reached for his wrist, fingers slipping over the handcuff and settling to wrap around the base of his hand. "He won't care. I'll give you a tour." He tugged Ennoshita's hand, leading him up the ramp and through the doorway.

Ennoshita followed, forgetting his efforts to pull his hand free the moment they passed through the airlock. "This is... incredible," he whispered in awe. Even a few steps inside, he could see the vast difference between the cramped transport ships he'd known and _this._ Instead of leading straight to rows of chairs or small compartments, he walked into a hall with a lit path. To their left, he saw a room filled screens and controls, with the large windows that would soon look out to the stars. Two pilot seats sat in front of the large control panel littered with levers, and buttons, and dials both physical and holographic.

"You've never been in a ship worth a damn, huh?" Tanaka laughed, squeezing his hand. The rough fingertips lightly pressing into his palm gave them both the realization of _Oh, that's still there_ before quickly dropping their hands. "That's the bridge," Tanaka continued, a hint of embarrassment in his voice. "I'll be there helpin' Hinata some of the time."

Ennoshita's rubbed his hand absently, wiping away the cold left behind by Tanaka's retreating hand. "You know how to fly a ship?"

"Basic stuff, nothing special." He flashed Ennoshita a proud smile. "I'll teach you sometime."

"I'd appreciate that- Hey, could you let go already?" He tried to pull away from Tanaka's hand pushing his shoulder. "I can walk on my own."

Tanaka ignored his request as he nudged him to their right. Despite the view of the bridge nearby, the round shape and dark walls of the open room drew Ennoshita's attention to the unique, white table in the center. "This is the command center for meetings and stuff like that. Daichi-san would stand there at the end so he can see the bridge. That hole in the middle of the table's for hologram stuff." He gestured to a door nearby. "That's a comm room so you can make holo-calls to family or whoever."

_Not that I have anyone to call._ "What's the other door, then?"

"Supposed to be an office for Daichi-san. He ain't using it though cause his room's huge compared to ours. He's lettin' Yachi use it." Tanaka made his way around the table and towards one of the two curved staircases in sight, sliding his hand across the wall as he skipped down the steps.

The open space that greeted them was clearly a dining area, the simple table and chairs with the bar nearby gave it a homey feel in contrast to the command center on the upper floor. "There's a kitchen back there behind the door. Small, but gets the job done. Over there-" Tanaka pointed to the left wall with two doors as they walked further into the room, past the table, "are the common room and Daichi-san's room. Lucky bastard gets his own bathroom. Our rooms are-” The light flickered before turning off, leaving the room shrouded in complete darkness. “What the hell?"

"I told you we should have waited."

"Nah, this shouldn't happen. I'll go check the-"

"Oh no, you don't." Ennoshita grasped out, managing to grab a handful of Tanaka's tanktop. "Stay put. It's too dark to wander."

"I'll be fine."

"We'll use the comms to-" A sound that was hard to place echoed through the hall. "What was that?"

They stayed silent for a moment, listening until it happened again. Tanaka stepped closer, his hand finding Ennoshita's arm. "What is-"

"Shh."

The sound was closer this time, a footstep turning a corner.

"W-what you said about the monster movie..."

"Don't be ridiculous. There's no such thing as monsters."

Around the corner came another footstep, and two glowing eyes peering back at them.

Tanaka's scream was louder than Ennoshita's embarrassing yelp, both clinging to each other as the haunting eyes tilted.

"...Suga-san, why are the lights off?" the creature spoke, confusion in its voice.

The lights flickered back on, revealing a puzzled Kageyama blinking at them behind his illuminated goggles. "And why are you yelling?"

Ennoshita attempted to pry Tanaka off of him as the AI's laughter filled the room. "You two can get along after all!" Suga teased through the intercom. "Daichi and the others are about to enter the ship for a meeting in the command center. He wants you three there."

* * *

It was strange to meet a person without analyzing them, searching for the holes in their character and wondering what their secrets were worth.

For better or worse, he'd already met everyone standing around the table; two empty spots remained. "This isn't an official meeting since we're missing some people, so Ukai-san and Takeda-san won't be seeing us off," Sawamura began, his voice carrying through the room with ease. "But we won't be wasting any time. We're taking the ship to Gransys as a test flight so our engineers and pilots can have a chance to work together. At Gransys is a more advanced combat simulator than Nekoma has to offer so our ground team can get some practice in." Sawamura looked over the team, eyes lingering on the empty spaces. "Right then. Introdu-"

"What's that asshole doing here?!" Tanaka shouted, pointing across the table at Tsukishima.

Ennoshita could practically feel the anger radiating off of Tanaka as Tsukishima smiled back. "Oh. It's the one that needs to hold hands when he's scared."

"Why you-"

"Tanaka," Sawamura interrupted, voice stern. When Tanaka stayed quiet, choosing to glare at the nurse instead, Sawamura continued, "We'll introduce ourselves and then set course for Gransys." He glanced at an empty spot one last time. "As you all already know, I'm Captain Sawamura, but you can call me Daichi-san." _Daichi-san has several areas worth hunting for secrets. Let's hope Seijou never figures that out._ "I'll save the speeches for when we're all here. If you have any issues, don't hesitate to talk to me or my second-in-command."

Daichi gestured to the hole in the center of the table, and a holographic doll only eight inches tall popped up. Its face and arms were featureless, making it appear little more than an artist's jointed model for sketching. Despite the lack of detail, there was something charming in the way it enthusiastically waved its featureless arms. "I am Karasuno Operations Unit Support Holographic Intelligence, KOUSHI for short. But you can call me Suga-san. I can assist you from anywhere on the ship, as well as the field as long as you're in range."

"Um... Suga-san?" Ennoshita started hesitantly. When no one interrupted, he continued, "Why 'Suga'?"

"My mother's name was Sugawara Mitsuri." The little holographic doll conjured a little holographic thought bubble above his head, as cartoony as a comic book. Suga 'imagined' an older woman with a kind smile, her light hair fixed into a braid draped in front of her shoulder. "That makes me a Sugawara too! Sugawara Koushi."

“Robots don’t have moms.”

“He’s not a robot, Tanaka.”

“Tanaka’s still rude!” Suga placed his little round hands on his little hip joints. “A woman that created you is commonly referred to as your mother. Mitsuri created me, therefore I call her my mother.”

"Suga can hear you from anywhere on the ship except the personal rooms and bathroom unless you call to him," Daichi added. "He can also detect where you are, but for everyone's privacy he can't scan you for injuries or anything of that nature unless it's asked of him."

The holographic Suga twirled and bowed before he disappeared, and Daichi gestured to Tsukishima to continue the line of introductions.

"Tsukishima Kei. Nurse." _And a sudden lack of interest in becoming anything more. Some sort of buried secret? Or is the lack of interest genuine?_

Tsukishima seemed content to leave it at that, but the familiar face beside him that Ennoshita couldn't quite name was ready to help elaborate. "Tsukki is one of the best nurses at-"

"Shut up, Yamaguchi."

"Sorry, Tsukki!" _Ah, that's where I know him from. The combat simulator at Nekoma Tech._

The introductions continued, and Ennoshita's old train of thought analyzed each one. _Yamaguchi Tadashi - Attached to Tsukishima, probably a long-time friend. That's hardly a secret, if he has any, but maybe he knows more about Tsukishima's halt in education. Kageyama Tobio - If he's a genius, why hasn't Shiratozawa recruited him? And is there a truth there worth anything? Kinoshita Hisashi and Narita Kazuhito - I already know their secrets; they worked with me for a few jobs. And arrested because of it. Shimizu Kiyoko - Her interest in working for Karasuno Operations is as mysterious as her blank background. Wonder how deep it goes. Hinata Shouyo and Yachi Hitoka seem too genuine to hide anything, at least for the moment._

"C'mon, Ghost. Introduce yourself."

"Please don't call me that, Tanaka," he sighed. "I'm Ennoshita Chikara. I'll be doing infiltration, mostly scouting ahead on missions if time allows it." _And my secrets all come down to me stealing secrets._

Daichi nodded in approval at the last introduction. "Time to see how we work together and what areas to improve. Hinata, when you reach the bridge, set course for- Nishinoya?"

Ennoshita turned to the source of Daichi's confusion and immediately felt as puzzled as the captain. Nishinoya Yuu stood in the hallway entrance, but just as Tanaka's profile had him make all the wrong assumptions, he found himself wrong yet again. He expected the man to be short, but he hadn't expected him to look so young, bright eyes to match his bright smile. With his thin arms and wild hair, he didn't look a day over fifteen.

"Noya-san!"

"Ryuu!"

The two bounded toward each other, Tanaka excitedly grabbing the shorter man into a crushing hug and lifting him off the ground as they both laughed. Ennoshita noticed the fond smile Daichi wore at the sight of his old comrade - which quickly faded as Nishinoya launched himself at Shimizu, earning himself a slap.

Within only a minute, the serious atmosphere in the command center disappeared; Nishinoya Yuu was more like a hurricane than a person, though the chaos in his wake was welcome, cheerful.

"It's good to see you, Nishinoya." Daichi offered his hand to him, and Nishinoya shook it vigorously.

"You too, Daichi-san!"

Nishinoya's smile faded as he looked around the room.

The hurricane stopped, his sudden silence that filled the room far louder than the excited laughter it replaced.

"Where's Asahi-san?"

Daichi glanced away to an empty spot on the table. "He's not coming."

The eyes that shined so brightly a moment ago changed, the cheer twisted to fury.

_I feel a different storm heading our way._

"That wimp!" Nishinoya growled through clenched teeth.

"Hey, don't talk about him like that!"

"Shut up! A wimp is a wimp!" Nishinoya shouted back at Tanaka. Without another word, he stormed out of the command center, leaving confusion in his aftermath.

"Noya-san, wait!"

Ennoshita watched as Daichi and Tanaka followed Nishinoya out of the airlock, calling after him. "I feel like I have whiplash from watching that," he sighed before looking up at his former partners in crime.

"Things are already exciting, and we haven't left the ground yet," Kinoshita replied, Narita nodding along.

"It's not too late to change your minds."

Kinoshita grinned in response. "No way. The excitement is why we're here."

"You made us adrenaline junkies like you," Narita added.

_That's not right, but not completely wrong, either._ "And look where that got me."

"Exactly! A steady job with what you're good at, free room and board - we hear you even found your Connected."

"Trust me, that's hardly a good thing." _Speaking of Connected, I can feel him outside. They haven't gone far._ "So you two truly want to be here?"

They both nodded. "We're under freelancer contracts, so we can leave anytime we want as long as we give them notice."

"It's going to be dangerous."

Kinoshita shrugged his shoulders. "Like we said, that's why we're here. Everything was so boring after they caught you. Maybe a little danger will make us change our minds, but for now, that's what we're in for."

"The pay's good too," Narita added with a guilty smirk.

"You're both ridiculous." Ennoshita couldn't help but smile back. _I've spent so long avoiding attachments. It's nice to have someone I know around._ He glanced back down the hall to the airlock. "Tanaka's coming back."

"Huh? You can tell?"

Tanaka, Daichi, and Nishinoya turning the corner coming down the hall answered for him. "Nishinoya will join us for the practice mission while Ukai-san looks for someone to take his place," Daichi announced. "Kageyama, Hinata, let's set course for Gransys. Estimated time to get there is six hours."

Nishinoya looked irritated, refusing to meet anyone's eye. "Where's the med bay?"

"C'mon Noya-san, I'll show ya."

With Tanaka and Noya's departure, the rest followed, going their individual ways. "I'll show you to your room," Narita offered, leading Ennoshita and Kinoshita down the stairs.

Past the dining area was a hall with eight doors along its walls. "Your room is there next to Tanaka's. Over there are the bathrooms."

"Our rooms are down in engineering."

"Wouldn't that be loud?"

"With Kageyama and Hinata arguing, sure. But the engine is quiet."

Ennoshita hesitated in front of the door. _My own room._ Not a cell, not a hospital room, not a hotel room or a dingy apartment he'd leave in a month or two, but a room to settle down in for the next few years. _I’m not ready for this._ "I'm going to see if I can find my way to the medical bay."

"You're not going to see your room?"

_I've never wanted a place to settle down in._ No place to call his own, no material possessions he kept for more than a month, no friends or family beyond the two next to him now - he had no anchor to the material world, and he worked hard to keep it that way. But now he had anchors tied to every limb to hold him down, including a Connected he never wanted. "I'm not sure how much you know about it, but I may be able to find Tanaka from here. I want to test it."

"Want us to follow you, or...?"

"Go on without me. Thank you for showing me to my room."

He lingered in front of the door as the others left, waiting for them to be out of sight. _Time to find the med bay - without anyone seeing me._ It had been too long now since he had the chance to put his skills to use without the advantage of the stealth suit. _He's on the opposite end of the ship from the bridge. Must be closer to the loading bay._

Heel to toe, heel to toe, his footsteps were silent as he walked through the empty dining area and to the staircase leading further into the ship. He stuck close to the wall as he descended, not a sound to be heard as he touched down on each step.

As he drew closer, the feeling of Tanaka’s location grew strong. _He's one more floor down, but by the opposite stairs._ He hugged the wall as he peered around the corner. No one in sight, but he could hear Kageyama's muffled voice. He crouched under the window that looked into the engine room, pressing his fingertips against the ground for balance as he hurried by to the stairs across the way.

The final floor looked out onto the open loading bay. Two drop shuttles lined the walls, shaped like large skycars that offered more armor for carrying the ground crew to their mission sites safely. The med bay door was only a few feet away, but Shimizu and Yachi lingered across the way, still oblivious to his presence. _Nothing to hide behind. I'll need speed and silence here._ Opting to avoid crouching- _Not worth the risk of looking like an idiot for the fourth time today-_ he took long strides towards the sliding mechanical door, hugging the wall again as he pushed the button open it. Too absorbed in their conversation, neither woman noticed him as he slid into the medical bay.

Tanaka watched his silent entry, arms folded across his chest but saying nothing. _Right. He could feel me coming. Forgot about that. And- What happened here?_ Ennoshita looked out around the room, medical supplies scattered across the floor and cots overturned. Tsukishima sat nearby, looking at a laptop instead of the mess around the room, the music on his headphones loud enough that Ennoshita could hear it from a few yards away.

Across the room, Nishinoya threw another tray before kicking an overturned cot, annoyance in his voice. "Three years, Ryuu! Three years and he still doesn't show his face!"

"So ya knew he was alive?"

"Of course I- Holy," Noya turned, jumping back when he noticed the new arrival and knocking more stuff off a counter in the process. "When did you get here?"

"J-just now. I should probably go-"

"Nah." Tanaka pat the counter he was leaning against, beckoning Ennoshita over. When Noya shrugged in response, Ennoshita complied, walking over to Tanaka’s side.

In the fluorescent light of the medical bay, Ennoshita got a better look at Nishinoya. His eyes were beautiful, wide amber eyes that hid their flaw well unless someone knew where to look. The left eye appeared undilated compared to the other, and the faint scar that trailed down the side of his face and neck past the collar was hardly noticeable. _Nishinoya Yuu - Battlefield doctor and hero responsible for two "impossible" rescue missions, believed dead after the left side of his body was crushed._

_And Connected to Azumane Asahi, the man behind the Cassardis massacre three years ago._

"I talked to him after his _‘execution’._ Told him I knew whatever happened was bullshit and to just tell me the truth. You know what he did?" Noya's brow furrowed, the left brow uneven over the undilated eye. _The eye must be artificial. His arm and leg on that side probably are as well. It would explain why he would be restricted to medical work on the ship and not on the field._ If it was limited to either one arm or leg, he could probably take the field like Tanaka, but the two combined would put him at too much of a disadvantage in combat. "He turned his back on me. Didn't say a word, just walked away."

"That's a dick move," Tanaka replied, though his voice lacked any irritation. "But I'll be honest, Noya-san. I can't be too pissed about that. I'm happy he's alive, ya know? Thought he was dead this whole time."

_If Tanaka's happy he's alive, and Nishinoya's angry he's not here, I'm definitely missing something._ He knew that from when he first read the infamous name on the datapad Takeda gave him; they wouldn't recruit Azumane if the truth was truly as dark as him murdering his team and over two dozen unarmed civilians. _Yet they also recruited an information thief that could easily sell all of their secrets to Seijou. Caution isn't their forte._

"Yeah. Yeah, that's something," Noya agreed reluctantly. "I know he didn't do it. There's no way."

"I think if Asahi-san hurt a fly, he'd start cryin'."

A smile crept across Noya's lips. "I killed a spider once instead of taking it outside. He wouldn't talk to me for twenty minutes." He shook his head, bending down to pick up the bottles he tossed to the ground. "There's no way he did it."

Tanaka bent down to pick up the bandages at his feet, but Ennoshita stopped him with a grip on his shoulder. "Tanaka, did you help make this mess at all?"

"No?" he replied in confusion, blinking up at Ennoshita.

"Then don't help him clean it. If he wants to throw a tantrum, he can take responsibility for it."

Nishinoya grinned. "You sound like a strict teacher."

Tanaka stood, wiping his hands on his pants. "It's kinda hot."

"Definitely a little hot."

"I-it's not!" Ennoshita stammered, regretting his decision to come to the med bay.

"Hey, Noya-san, did ya hear? This guy's my Connected."

"Connected? You?" Noya rose to his feet, stepping between the bottles and tools on the floor to walk closer to Ennoshita. Uncomfortably close. "He's kind of pretty."

"I'm not- Could you step back? Do neither of you understand the concept of personal space?"

Noya didn’t budge, and Tanaka draped his arm over Ennoshita’s shoulder. "Get this - he's a master thief. Even stole from Nekoma Tech."

"No way. Their security is airtight. What did he steal, a pencil?"

"He stole a combat hardsuit that turns invisible. An entire suit! They didn't catch him for- How long was it? A year?"

Ennoshita brushed his bangs with his fingers, attempting to hide his face behind his hand. "A-a bit longer than a year." _Damn it, Tanaka. I hope I'm not blushing._ His thief persona was his everything until he was caught; he was good at it, and _proud,_ but it wasn't something he could openly gloat about before. Unlike the movies, a good thief wasn't a famous one - but the occasional news report about _Ghost_ slipping through the detectives' fingers that year felt like compliments beyond compare, recognition he didn't know he craved.

Tanaka clapped him on the back, grinning from ear to ear. "Pretty badass, huh, Noya-san?"

_Definitely blushing now. Glad to know I can't handle a compliment._ He felt like he was back in a cheap hotel, smiling so hard it hurt as the newscaster went on to describe the vanishing Ghost eluding the police yet again.

A beep emitted from a terminal on the wall, and Suga's hologram popped up with a dramatic pose, one round hand on his hip and the other raised towards the ceiling. "Nishinoya! I'm glad you made it!"

"Suga-san?! Look at you! You've got a little body now!"

"Eh, you two know each other?"

"We met a few times after Daichi and Asahi rescued me. We’ll catch up later, Nishinoya. Daichi requests everyone available to return to the command center. Something's come up."

* * *

Daichi's brow furrowed with concern as he looked at the holographic galaxy map in the center of the table. "We caught a distress signal. No audio attached, only the location."

"What are we waiting for? Let's go!"

"It's not that simple, Tanaka."

"Someone's in distress. We help people in distress. Simple enough to me."

_"Tanaka."_

"Fine. What's the issue?"

"Suga, map please."

The map zoomed in on a planet, and Suga swam through the display of stars to reach it. "This is Cassardis," he began, pointing at a marked part of a continent. "We are here." He slid his hand toward the space in the sky northwest of Cassardis.

"Shit."

"Language, Nishinoya!"

"Sorry, Suga-san."

"Who cares where we are?" Tanaka asked, his irritation growing.

Leaning against the table, Ennoshita searched the map for any clues. "I'm afraid I don't understand, either. Could someone please explain?"

"I think..." Yamaguchi hesitated, scratching his cheek. "I think that area by Cassardis is mostly run by gangs and mercenaries. It's Johzenji territory."

_That's trouble. Bad trouble._ Though technically a band of mercenaries, Johzenji was powerful in the underground world with their feet solidly planted in the black market. Unfortunately, they'd become a necessary evil; they were known to keep more destructive weapons out of others' hands and had a harsh treatment to anyone attempting human trafficking. Dateko and Shiratorizawa turned a blind eye, deeming them not worth the time and resources to take them down. Any attempts others made, whether to stop them or take over, failed miserably - they were too unpredictable to fight.

"Since when?"

"Since President Yamaoka was assassinated," Tsukishima stated dryly.

Ennoshita caught the subtle movement in Daichi's arms- _Not that I was staring... Okay, maybe a little-_ and let his eyes trail down to the clenched fists resting on the table. "He was assassinated _months_ after he finished his term."

Tsukishima only shrugged, unwilling to debate the matter. "Doesn't change the fact that it's been Johzenji territory since he died. The signal's probably bait to lure in some fool to mug."

"Good." Tanaka leaned against his forearms on the table. "Either it's real, and we help some people out, or it's fake and we kick around some shithead thugs."

"That's moronic. There's no sense putting us at risk over a small chance."

"Get used to it, Tsukishima, cause that's why we're doin' this. We signed up to put our asses on the line to protect innocents. If there's any chance people need our help, then we need to jump in."

Sighing, Ennoshita chimed in, "I can't believe I'm about to say this, but - reckless notions aside - I think Tanaka has a point." He ignored Tanaka's proud grin in his direction. "Even if it's a trap, the types of groups that would use this as bait are generally small, aren't they? They won't be expecting an armed unit."

"Good point. The threat is likely minimal.” Daichi turned his attention to the doctor being uncharacteristically silent. “What are your thoughts, Nishinoya?"

His voice was low and quiet compared to the earlier storm. "I'm not officially a part of the team, Daichi-san."

"Regardless, any opinions?"

"What's there to say? Ryuu's right. Don't know why we're arguing this," he replied with a shrug as if the answer was too obvious.

"Daichi, you're the captain, remember?" Suga laughed, still swimming through the holographic map. "You're supposed to make the call!"

"I still want to hear my team's opinion, Suga. Is anyone besides Tsukishima opposed to us checking out the source of the distress signal?"

A few of the crew murmured between each other, and Ennoshita thought he heard a faint _Sorry, Tsukki!,_ but no one gave any objections. "It's settled then. We'll alert Dateko to meet with us in case of an emergency, but don't count on them - it'll take them time to arrive. Ground team, go suit up."

* * *

_I've missed this suit._ He was no longer used to the way it hugged his form, and the sleeves were too tight over the handcuffs, but the stealth suit offered a comfort like a favorite jacket in autumn.

"Captain, it's in view," Kinoshita called from the driver's seat of the drop shuttle. From the window, Ennoshita could see a lone building amidst the trees, large enough to house a decent number of people or goods, though not very comfortably. "Looks like some sort of old research building. Two men outside with armor and weapons. They seem confused to see us."

"Not an ambush, then. They wouldn't show off their weapons like that."

"That doesn't add up, Daichi-san. They seem fine. Why would they send a signal and not give a status report?"

"Could the signal have been an accident?"

"Doubt that. Whoever's working the controls would know if they screwed up and follow up to call it off."

"You're right, Tanaka. It's suspicious. Kinoshita, park here. Be ready for a retreat when we call for it." _Don't worry, Daichi-san. I've given him plenty of practice with quick escapes._ "Ennoshita, I want you to scout inside while we question the men stationed outside. Suga will watch through a camera on your armor so he can report to us without giving away your position."

"Yes, sir." With a few taps of the buttons on the wrist and neck, he disappeared, a ghost to haunt unseen and unheard.

The door to the shuttle lifted, and Daichi led their small group towards the building, all in armor painted black with an orange stripe across the chest. Tsukishima and Yamaguchi followed, and Ennoshita walked directly behind Tanaka lingering in the back, stepping in the boot prints left behind in the dirt to avoid making his own.

As Daichi approached the two armed men and grabbed their attention, Ennoshita advanced, sticking to the trees' shadows to hide his prints as he moved.

"We got your distress signal. Is everything alright?"

"Distress signal?” The man sounded genuinely confused. _Definitely something weird going on._ “What distress signal?"

The door slid open as a third guy without armor walked out. _Lucky strike._ Ennoshita hurried to the last few feet through the door, not sparing a glance at the man he rushed by. _No one would think to look for a ghost. Can't get risky again though, or I'll give myself away._

The inside of the building was inconspicuous enough; the open space at the entrance had a few tables and chairs, two tables occupied with seven or eight people in various qualities of armor laughing about something or other. _Please, keep talking and laughing. Any noise I make in a place like this would echo._ A stairway to his left led up to a second floor with a balcony that looked over the space. A few doors lined the back wall, and the one underneath the balcony was left open. _But there's a wall turret posted outside of it. If there are any secrets in this place, that room is the key._

_"Careful, Ghost,"_ Tanaka’s whispered voice came through the comm. _"This whole thing is fishy. They've got no idea about the signal, and when Daichi-san asked to check inside, one guy freaked out."_

Crouching, Ennoshita walked by the wall, mentally thanking Nekoma Tech for designing the soft boots to be as quiet as possible. _If I jump down from the balcony, I'll be too close to the turret and out of its cone of detection._

The men at the table laughing remained oblivious as he climbed the stairs cautiously, but he only made it halfway before the unarmed man from outside came back in. "Suit up. There are some guys here that say they caught a distress signal and want to check inside. Yuta, you go check the control room."

"Yes, sir!"

_"Suga here. I'm alerting Daichi now. We need to hurry."_

Ennoshita pressed flat against the wall, holding his breath as the men rushed past him up the stairs. He followed behind the last one, synchronizing his steps up to the balcony until the man ducked into a room on the second floor.

_"What's the situation, Suga?"_

_"According to my calculations, there are eleven total currently preparing to fight, including the two outside."_

Ennoshita hurried along the balcony, quickly glancing through any open doors he passed to see them rushing to put on their armor. Sticking close to the back wall once he reached it, he climbed over the railing, carefully using the wall turret as a stepping stone to jump down and through the doorway on the first floor. A simple room with little more than a security console and some desks, the monitors overhead showed a glimpse into each room of the building.

_"Ennoshita, we're retreating until Dateko arrives. Meet us back at the drop shuttle."_

_I'm sorry Daichi-san, but I can't do that._

Just about everyone had secrets. The bigger the secret, the more someone was willing to pay to keep it covered up - and sometimes the price was far greater than even Seijou could offer.

"Yuta, we need to destroy the cargo," a voice stated through the intercom. "Unlock the room for me."

"On it."

A body in tattered clothes - hopefully still breathing - was slumped beside the console. _That must be who sent off the signal._ Through the security camera screens, Ennoshita could see the 'cargo': _people,_ scared and huddled together.

Ennoshita pulled his pistol from his belt, aiming for- _Breathe out-_ and hitting Yuta's leg. _Not the leg I was aiming for, but I won't complain._ Yuta shrieked at the sudden burn, looking around in confusion for the threat he couldn't see. Ennoshita closed the distance, grabbing Yuta's shirt and throwing him a few feet away and taking his place at the security console.

"Suga-san, I can lock the rooms from here." He began the task at hand, fingers skittering across the console’s controls. "Maybe I can hold out until Dateko gets here."

_"It would take them twenty-two point four minutes to reach us. By my estimations, the chances of holding out until-"_

The door slid shut and locked at his command, and the other room on the monitor seemed safe, for the moment. "I'm going to at least try, okay? Get the others out of here." _My first mission is my last. Some infiltrator I turned out to be._

A voice beyond Suga's responded. _"No way. Suga-san caught us up. We're comin' in."_

_I’m not letting you die here, Tanaka._ He pressed a few more buttons on the console, sealing the building from the inside. "I'm locking the building. Just go!"

A few rapid shots rang through his communicator. _"Ya hear that? That's me breakin' your lock."_

"You are so frustrating!" Ennoshita hurried to deactivate the turret system. "Why do you insist on being so frustrating?!"

_"Cause you’re so damn fun to tease."_

"Just- Just stay alive, alright? I'm going to scold you for this later."

_"Lookin' forward to it."_

He could see the four of them advancing on the screen, Tanaka rushing in first and heading straight to the door of the control room, ignoring the shots fired at him. Tsukishima followed, holding a shield that completely covered his front, and Daichi stayed close behind as he shot out at the slavers. Yamaguchi lingered by the door, sniper rifle at the ready.

_"The two outside are incapacitated. Nine remain."_

_That's more than two for each of them. We're overrun._

He watched as the slavers surrounded Daichi and Tsukishima. He could feel Tanaka on the other side of the door and watched on the monitor as a few closed in on him.

_This is it. I got us all killed. I should have-_

“Ya~hoo!” Even without the volume on the monitor, he could hear the _cheering,_ mercenaries in yellow armor pouring into the building with guns blazing.

_Johzenji._

_Well, shit._


	4. actions and consequences

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I’ve never told anyone before.”
> 
> “Then make it a good story.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Word count: 9493  
> [Young the Giant - Something to Believe In](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_ZRWZv14SA) / [Hozier - Arsonist's Lullaby](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEtkIRlz7Vw)

_Shiiiiiit._

Trouble always had a way of inviting more trouble. They were already unprepared and outnumbered two-to-one with hostages trapped nearby; Tanaka was certain the new arrivals flooding in officially made the situation a clusterfuck. The telltale cheering as they started shooting left no room for doubt; the mercenaries that controlled this area were here to crash the party.

_Same objective - Protect the door._ Damn the shots coming his way. Damn the slaver advancing on him with a shotgun. Damn his kinetic shields for reaching their limits. And damn Johzenji for showing up at the worst time.

Except Johzenji didn't seem to give a damn back. "Hey, black and orange!" one of the mercs called out. "Duck!"

The slaver with the shotgun collapsed in front of Tanaka, clearing the view - Johzenji were focused solely on gunning down the slavers, the only attention spared for Karasuno limited to their leader casually resting his knee on the crouched Daichi's shoulder as if he was a footrest instead of a military captain.

Johzenji, as crazy as it seemed, was on their side. The slavers were dropping like flies. The Karasuno Operations special tactics unit wasn't going to die here on their first damn mission.

_"Tanaka-"_

"Ghost, what's going on?"

Suga responding in his stead was a bad sign. _"Ennoshita has lost control of the situation and is under attack."_

_New objective - Break the door down if I have to._

"Suga, can you get this door open?"

_"I have no control over the building."_

"Shit." _No lock panel to shoot this time._ He slammed the butt of the rifle against the door, again and again, until he made enough of a dent to grab. The door put up a good fight, screeching as it reluctantly slid open to reveal the brawl on the floor of the security room.

Ennoshita's attacker had the upper hand, pressing his weight on top of the infiltrator as the two wrestled for the pistol in Ennoshita's grip. "Give me your gun!"

"I'll give you a damn gun," Tanaka grunted. He swung his rifle upside the attacker's head, and the bastard was out cold, slumping over like a sack of potatoes.

"Tanaka?" Ennoshita asked in disbelief, his helmet shifting as he faced him. "What's going..." he struggled, panting.

With the absence of gunfire, the muffled banter outside the room was reassuring, a sign they were in the clear. "Relax, Ghost." He kicked the unconscious slaver away to kneel beside Ennoshita, lightly resting his hand on the infiltrator's chest to feel the steady rise and fall. Ennoshita's hand found his, holding it there as he closed his eyes and focused on catching his breath. "You alright?" Tanaka asked softly.

"Yeah," he replied, his panting subsiding. "Yeah, I'm fine. He hit hard, but the padding helped."

"Where did he hit?" Tanaka stood, pulling Ennoshita up with him.

"Chest. Arm." Ennoshita hissed as he got on his feet. "I think he kicked my ankle."

"You _think?"_

"He caught me by surprise. I forgot about him after I shot his leg."

With the hand still in his, he draped Ennoshita's arm over his shoulder and pulled him closer to his side, letting Ennoshita lean his weight against him as they stood. "Suga, what's the situation?"

_"Johzenji has executed the slavers. Their leader is speaking to Daichi now."_

Ennoshita winced as he turned to look at the unconscious slaver a few feet away. "There's another in here that's still alive. Probably. There's also a woman that needs medical attention. I think she's the one that sent the signal."

_"I'll alert Daichi."_

Tanaka glanced around the room, taking note of the two unconscious bodies on the floor. _Should be safe to go; that slaver ain’t movin’ anytime soon._ "So." Tanaka's tone was teasing as he took a step forward, helping Ennoshita move along. "Let me get this straight. You had armor, and a gun-"

"Ugh, don't-"

"-He had no armor, no gun, a messed up leg-"

"I'm never going to hear the end of this, am I?"

"-And you still lost the fight."

Ennoshita's embarrassed whine was a treat. "I was stealthed, too."

Tanaka had to bark a laugh at that. "How the hell did you manage to screw up so badly?"

It was hard to see through his helmet, but Tanaka caught quirk of Ennoshita's lips. "Invisibility can't hide your location so well if you shoot someone and start yelling at your teammate for refusing to listen."

_Feels good to hear him call me a teammate._ "You coulda just shot him again."

"He didn't have armor on."

"So?"

"I didn't want to kill him!"

"That's cute. You're cute."

Ennoshita's second embarrassed whine was just as good as the first as they hobbled out of the security room. Tsukishima pushed past them into the room without sparing them a look.

Johzenji's leader was young for someone who pretty much controlled the black market; earrings, close-cropped hair dyed blond, and happily standing in Daichi's personal space. "Let Dateko arrest the last one, Terushima." Daichi folded his arms across his chest, trying and failing to not look annoyed at the close proximity. "There's been enough bloodshed here."

"There's zero tolerance for slave trade here." He reflected Daichi's stance, stepping even closer. "He broke the rules, he pays the price."

"You should question him." Ennoshita seemed surprised by his own suggestion, pressing closer to Tanaka as if he could save him when Daichi and Terushima's intense gazes turned to him. "There's a chance this isn't the only group. You should see what he knows."

The mercenary's face lit up like a kid watching fireworks. "And that means finding more slavers breaking my playground's rules. Hanamaki, go tie him up and throw him in the ship."

"On it, Captain."

"Wait, wait, hold on a sec," Daichi cut in, grabbing Terushima's arm. "At least let Dateko handle that!"

"No deal." Terushima stuck out his pierced tongue at Daichi before turning to the rest of his team. "Alright, let's move! Don't wanna be here when Dateko shows up." He spared Daichi one last glance before he left the building. "We'll let you know if the bastard has any info. See you later, Sawamura-kun~"

The door slid shut, leaving Tanaka and Ennoshita alone with their captain. "Daichi-san, did we just ally with a group of criminals?"

Daichi sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I don't think we have a choice. If Ennoshita's right and the survivor has leads, Johzenji's our only option now. The ball's in their court." Ennoshita faced the ground at the mention of his name, for once not giving his full attention as the captain spoke. "Nishinoya's on his way with the extra shuttle to help Tsukishima with the hostages. You two and Yamaguchi will take it back. I'll wait here for Dateko."

"Let me help you here, Daichi-san."

"Go, Tanaka. We've got enough people here to deal with." With another sigh, Daichi turned to face the door. "So much for that simple test mission."

* * *

With the exception of Noya's 'test' - chopping Ennoshita in the ribs as he passed ("He's still standing, he's fine.", "Are you sure you're a medical professional?") - the infiltrator was quiet all the way to the ship, staring out of the shuttle window without a word. The longer his silence drew on, the more it grew distracting, even pulling Tanaka's attention away from his favorite part of any mission - the gorgeous Shimizu Kiyoko helping him take off his armor.

As she worked on the clasps on his gear, Tanaka found himself watching Ennoshita instead. The way his hair slicked with sweat clung to his forehead when he removed his helmet, the way he arched his back to reach the clips on his stealth suit, the way he slowly peeled the tight suit off his chest to reveal that damned black turtleneck underneath - and he did it all without a word, the only sound escaping his lips was the hiss as he pulled the suit over his ankle.

Finally down to a tanktop and pants again, Tanaka rolled his shoulders, returning Kiyoko's small nod as she turned away. "Let's get you to the med bay, Ghost."

"I'm fine." His answer was quick, punctuated with a wince as he stepped forward.

"That didn't look 'fine' to me. C'mon."

"It's only a bruise, Tanaka."

"Then it's a good thing we got stuff for that in the med bay." Tanaka pulled Ennoshita's arm back over his shoulder, keeping a hand on his hip as he helped him walk. "There a reason you're not talkin'?"

"Just thinking."

_I don't buy that._ He couldn't argue it; Ennoshita _seemed_ distracted, staring at the ground as they made their way into the medical bay. But Tanaka wasn't so sure he believed that was the reason for his silence. He helped the infiltrator onto a cot, grabbing what he needed from the cabinets and tossing it next to Ennoshita before dragging a stool over to sit in front of him. He gingerly took hold of Ennoshita's ankle, pushing up the pant leg and pulling off the sock. "Bruising's limited to the bottom of the ankle," he commented, brushing his thumb lightly over fresh blotch of yellow. "Swelling a bit, too. Does it hurt to move?"

Ennoshita carefully rolled his foot. "A little. I can take care of it myself, you know."

"I'm sure ya can." Tanaka kept his grip, reaching forward for the jar on the cot. "Open this for me."

"You could let go of my foot instead."

"I could, but I won't," he replied, brushing his thumb over the top of the foot. Ennoshita's frown didn't budge as he twisted the cap, holding the opening towards Tanaka. "When are you gonna tell me what's really buggin' ya?" he started, glancing up at Ennoshita while he dipped his fingers into the jar. "Cause you were fine before we got on the shuttle."

Heavy lidded eyes refused to meet his. "It's all my fault. I almost got us all killed because I jumped in. And because I opened my mouth- _Ah,_ that's cold," Ennoshita hissed at the sudden chill on his ankle as Tanaka gently smoothed the ointment over the bruise. He finally met Tanaka's gaze for only a moment, long enough for Tanaka to admire the way the dark brown eyes captured the light before he turned away again. "Because I opened my mouth, we may end up working with Johzenji."

Tanaka reached for the gel pack and roller bandage beside Ennoshita on the cot. "I ain't happy playing by Johzenji's rules either, but," he held the gel pack in place as he worked on rolling the gauze dressing around the bruised ankle, "if that asshole who did this to you can point the way to more assholes holding people against their will, then it's worth it." He rubbed his thumb across the skin just above the gauze after clipping it in place. "Is this too tight?"

"It's good. Thank you." Ennoshita rolled his ankle again, testing the binding before he lowered his foot. "Maybe you're right about that, but that doesn't change the fact I almost got us all killed in the first place. If I hadn't jumped in-"

"Those people would be dead." Tanaka tugged at the cloth covering Ennoshita's stomach. "Take your shirt off."

Ennoshita blinked at him, eyebrows raised. "Huh?"

"You said he hit your chest, right? Lemme see if that's bruised, too."

"You're really not going to let me do any of this myself, are you?" he quipped, pulling the turtleneck over his head.

"You're finally catching on." His eyes were first drawn to the pale skin of Ennoshita's exposed neck; it was always covered by those damn turtleneck collars, and he didn't get the chance to appreciate it in the hospital gown the day of the procedure. Tanaka's gaze trailed from the smooth neck down to the toned chest, free of scars or marks besides the fresh yellow bruise on his left breast. The matching bruise painting his bicep caught Tanaka's eye; he hadn't expected Ennoshita to be _fit,_ lean muscle in comparison to Tanaka's own broad physique.

For all his staring, Ennoshita didn't seem to notice, jerking away in surprise at the cold ointment Tanaka pressed to his arm. "I was a hypocrite, Tanaka," he muttered, watching as Tanaka lightly rubbed a coat of ointment over the bruise. "I told you not to be reckless when we argued on the way to Nekoma, but today I just ran in without thinking."

"But it saved them all. So what's the problem?"

"They were only threatened because we showed up. Maybe we shouldn't have gone down. None of this mess would have happened."

"I thought you were the sensible one here," Tanaka lightly teased, though his patience was thinning. _Why won't he see what he did was incredible?_ "If we didn't go down, those people would've been sent off to gods-know-where to do gods-know-what. That girl that sent the distress signal must've known they'd kill her if she got caught, but she did it anyways. I'd bet they were all willin' to make that same sacrifice to get out of there." Tanaka dipped his fingers into the ointment jar again before pressing them to the bruise on Ennoshita's chest. The heartbeat beneath his fingertips may have resonated in his chest, but it refused to beat in sync with his own. "If we didn't show up, they'd be slaves. If you didn't act when you did, they'd be dead. You saved the damned day, alright? Be happy about it."

"Tanaka." Ennoshita looked up, frowning, eyebrows furrowed as he met his gaze. "The only reason we're alive is because Johzenji showed up when they did."

Tanaka flattened his palm over Ennoshita's chest, wishing he could will the heart beneath his hand to meet his own rhythm. "But we're alive. The hostages are alive. Everyone besides the shitheads responsible are alive," he growled. "Why isn't that enough for you?"

"Because actions have consequences, Tanaka." Ennoshita pushed Tanaka's hand away from his chest. "Surviving because we got lucky doesn't change that it was foolish."

The stool beneath him scraped across the floor as he pushed to his feet. "You know, what you did out there today was fucking incredible. You were the damn hero out there!" Tanaka caught the stunned look in Ennoshita's widened eyes, the way his lips barely parted when Tanaka called him a hero, and if he wasn't already too pissed off he'd follow up on that - tell him how cool he was when he snuck in, and how clever he was to suggest they question the last slaver. But it was too late; if he wanted to call the act Tanaka was so impressed with _foolish,_ then he could keep throwing his little pity party for himself. "But you keep talkin' like all that was a mistake. And if you think that's a mistake, then you're not cut out for this sort of team."

It should have been too early to sense his feelings - especially if that was something meant for Connected who were _close,_ when they couldn't go a day together without some sort of disagreement - but he thought he felt it, the dull pain in Ennoshita’s chest as Tanaka walked away.

* * *

Tanaka caught sight of Ukai's life-sized projection as it collapsed, leaving the comm room empty save for the holo-projector, a few chairs lining the wall, and Daichi leaning against the control panel. "What's going on, Daichi-san?"

"For once, I'm glad the people are Karasuno Ops. are insane. No one else would be willing to even hear about working with Johzenji, nevermind giving full approval.” Daichi gently pushed his weight off the console. "The hostages are safe, but trying to explain the situation to Dateko was like walking through a field of landmines."

Tanaka leaned against the wall by the chairs, propping his foot up against it. "Did ya tell 'em about Johzenji?"

"I mentioned it was complicated and that my superior officers would report to them. I don't like putting it on Ukai-san and Takeda-san's shoulders, but they're insisting it's better they handle it."

_Maybe Ghost was a little bit right 'bout the 'actions have consequences' thing._ It was never as simple as the bad guys falling, the day is saved, end of story. When it came to the military - or in this case, an off-shoot unit - a fight didn't end once the baddies bit the dust. It started a wave of reports to higher-ups that would argue about what's already done, whining to the captain responsible about what he can't change.

Daichi tapped the surface of the console, pensive as he continued, "There's someone else I want to talk to before I call a team meeting."

"I'll leave ya to it."

"If you don't mind, I'd prefer you stay here. When I start this call," Daichi worked his fingers along the buttons of the control panel slowly, pressing them one by one and pausing between each, "I won't want to end it."

After the flip of a lever to start the call - and only one ring sounding through - the projection popped up, soft eyes lighting up as they looked down at the captain. "Daichi?"

The slight curve of Daichi's lips mirrored Asahi's own. "You picked up awfully quick."

"I was walking by when it rang." Asahi bashfully scratched the back of his neck, and the wave of nostalgia hit Tanaka hard; the motion was so familiar that for a moment he was back on the old ship after the ambush, asking his senpai for advice as he learned to hold his gun again. It was the same motion every day, charming in its routine. He would scratch the back of his neck, shy at the sudden attention and praise, but the more he shared with Tanaka as the day went on, the more confident he grew, his well-earned pride as the ace of their unit shining through.

"Uh huh," Daichi teased with a smirk that screamed 'I don't believe you.' "Suga, what do you think?"

The doll popped into view on Asahi's shoulder. "I think he's lying, Daichi!" Suga poked Asahi in the cheek, and though the hand poked through his hologram, Asahi's smile grew all the same.

"I-I didn't want to miss if you called!" He poked Suga back, and the doll stumbled at the fake impact. "It's been quiet without you two," he added softly, playing along and pinching Suga's arm to help him back on his shoulder. Once Suga settled down, sitting and kicking his legs off the side of his shoulder, he glanced back up, eyes wide when he noticed the other figure in the room. "Is that you, Tanaka? You look good."

"You don't look too bad yourself, Asahi-san." _Not bad for dead, anyways._ "Noya's here, too. Says he-"

Daichi clamped a hand over Tanaka's mouth.

Asahi's smile dropped, the fondness etched on his face as he spoke to Daichi and Suga replaced with concern. "Is everything okay with Nishinoya?"

"He's fine," Daichi replied, hand still firmly over Tanaka's mouth. "It's been hectic here. You and Nishinoya need to talk things over some time." When Asahi didn't respond, his gaze turned to the ground, Daichi continued. "And you may need to do that sooner rather than later. There was an incident outside of Cassardis."

For the half year that Tanaka knew Asahi before his 'execution', he had seen the subtle range of emotions the man portrayed; he was still always easy to read, even if he wasn't as expressive as Nishinoya. But at the mention of Cassardis, Tanaka saw a new expression on the ace, a cold stare that sent a chill down his spine.

"Asahi, be ready. We don't know the details yet, but there's a chance something may be going on that you'll want to be a part of."

Asahi's response was his hand reaching forward, flicking the switch to end the call from his side.

Suga remained sitting in the air with his perch now gone, though the playful kicking ceased. Daichi lowered his hand from Tanaka's mouth, silently watching the space where Asahi's projection was no longer standing.

"Oi, Daichi-san. What was that about?" Tanaka asked, for once just a tiny bit self-conscious of how his loud voice carried through the tensely quiet room.

"A story that's not mine to tell." He ran his hand through his hair before bringing it to the control panel, shutting the holo-projector down. Suga waved as his hologram disappeared. "I didn't want him to know that Nishinoya refused to join unless he did. If Asahi comes back, it needs to be on his own terms."

"But it ain't like that. Noya-san's not tryin' to push him into anything. Just doesn't feel like a team without 'im."

"I know, Tanaka. But if Asahi feels pressured, he'll build that wall higher."

"Then how is what you told 'im any different?"

"It's not," Daichi confessed as he turned back to face Tanaka. "That's why he ended the call. But he needed the warning so he has time to think." He sighed as he ran his hand through his hair again. "Suga, could you call everyone to the command center? We need to get this meeting over with."

* * *

There was a strangely clear divide in the command center as the team trickled into the room by pairs - some arguing, some eerily quiet - and separated to stand on either side of the table. Tanaka’s gaze followed Ennoshita from the moment he limped in, eyes glued to the floor and hand nervously rubbing the cuff on his wrist. _Hard to stay mad at him when he looks like I kicked his puppy._ Hinata and Kageyama were absent, sticking to their stations to get the ship airborne, but Kiyoko, Nishinoya, Kinoshita, and Yamaguchi stood opposed Yachi, Tsukishima, Narita, and Ennoshita as an argument between the nurse and the doctor dragged on.

Tsukishima was _fuming_ , a sneer tugging his lips as he glared across the table at Nishinoya. “We shouldn’t have been down there to begin with!”

“No, that was exactly where we needed to be!” the doctor argued back. “We did what needed to be done!”

“He’s right, Tsukki.” Yamaguchi glared at his friend across the table. “We’re here to help people.”

“We’re not here to throw our lives away on a whim! Your helmet is wrecked, Yamaguchi. You were one shot away from dead because no one wanted to stop and _think_.”

“There was no time for hesitation,” Kiyoko stated calmly, adjusting her glasses.

Yachi wrung her hands, nervously glancing at Kiyoko. “But m-maybe we shouldn’t have gone in unprepared. There could have been something…”

“I should have done something differently,” Ennoshita added quietly, those pretty, dark eyes still refusing to meet anyone else’s.

Tanaka wanted to do something, _anything_ to get him to stop looking like someone stole his lunch money - pat him on the back, clap him on the shoulder, brush the hair falling into his eyes and tell him _Enough with the pity party, you did so good today, you’re a hero to those people, damn it, why won’t you listen?_ “Hey. You did good, Ghost.” Tanaka folded his arms across his chest, ignoring Tsukishima’s glare. “Even if you don’t wanna believe me.”

Those damn pretty eyes met his only for a moment before falling back to the table.

Nishinoya nodded, mirroring Tanaka’s folded arms. “Ryuu’s right. If it weren’t for you-”

“We wouldn’t be in this mess!” Tsukishima snapped. Ennoshita looked _pained,_ forcing his eyes shut tightly as he brought his arms up, crossing them like he was holding himself, and Tanaka was ready to fly over the table - either to pull Ennoshita closer or put Tsukishima into a chokehold, he hadn’t decided yet - but Daichi’s voice froze him in place.

“Enough.” Daichi’s command carried through the room, pulling everyone’s attention to him. “I called you here to tell you the situation. Not for you to argue.” He looked from Nishinoya to Tsukishima, the doctor glancing at the nurse one last time before Daichi continued. “The hostages are safe with Dateko. They’re being sent to Wakutani Hospital, and from there their families will be contacted.

“Our mission has changed. Ukai-san has given us the go-ahead to work with Johzenji if they find a lead, so we’re going to test the ship’s stealth systems by drifting overhead in the area while we wait for a response. We’re giving them three days to report to us. Tanaka and Yamaguchi, tomorrow you two will fly the ship after Kinoshita and Narita’s shift to give Hinata and Kageyama a break.

“As for the current controversy: there is no right or wrong. Today’s mission was an overall success. We’re all safe, as well as any innocents involved. But we can’t deny it was a mess.” Tanaka kept his eyes on Ennoshita while Daichi spoke, watching how his long, slender fingers tightened around his bicep as he held himself and the subtle way his pale lips moved as he bit his bottom lip. “Use this as a learning experience. Think about what each of us could have done differently while still taking action. As for Ennoshita’s decision to act,” Daichi faced the infiltrator sinking in on himself, braced for whatever scolding the captain was saving for him. “There are plenty of tough calls someone in our line of work will have to make throughout their career. There’s rarely a ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ call to make, and there’s never a guarantee of a good outcome. Being able to make a tough choice in the split second he was given, regardless of what that choice was, is not only commendable, but the quality of a leader.”

Tanaka watched every detail of Ennoshita’s stunned reaction - pretty eyes widened in disbelief, pale lips slightly parted, slender fingers trailed down his arms as his hands fell to his sides.

Daichi clapped his hands together, but Tanaka only listened as the captain finished speaking, eyes still focused on the infiltrator’s lips. “Go rest up and be ready for when Johzenji calls. You’re dismissed.”

The team left in silence one by one, each going their separate ways, but Ennoshita lingered by the table. He lifted his head to look at Tanaka as he approached for a moment, only to turn away. _Right. We didn’t exactly end on a good note back in the med bay._ “Oi, Ghost. You alright?” Tanaka asked softly, testing the waters and reaching for his shoulder.

Ennoshita grabbed Tanaka’s hand to pull it off, but he let go slowly, fingers brushing before they fell apart. “Can we talk tomorrow? I have a lot on my mind.”

_No, I want to talk now, I want to hear more of your voice, I want to do whatever it takes to get you to stop looking so damn melancholy._ “Fine. Tomorrow. I’ll be waiting for ya.”

* * *

His room was small, but it was enough; it had a bed, and a dresser to hold the few items he might bother to keep. Even had a desk to throw his dirty clothes on. It was his room alone, no one to share it with. But that was the only downside, really; he shared every room he had since he was in diapers, and honestly, he liked it that way. Sure, his sis drove him nuts sometimes growing up, and he and Noya had a few fights when they shared that tiny apartment in Soren, but those were small prices to pay; he’d take company over privacy any day.

Being alone wouldn’t be so bad if it wasn't so damn quiet. He left the door open, but not a sound came through. Even Hinata was silent with his door open across the hall, falling asleep the moment he flopped face-first onto his bed after he finally let Kinoshita take the helm for the night.

_Wish I could sleep that easy._ It was late. Everyone was exhausted. With the exception of Narita and Kinoshita manning the ship, the team should all be asleep in their rooms. _So why the hell is Ghost still out?_ Tanaka could feel him in the common room across the ship, and between the silence and _Why isn’t he in his damn room,_ sleep wasn’t coming, no matter how drained he was. The pillow swallowed his defeated groan before he pushed himself up, grimacing as his feet touched the cold floor.

An extra wave of fatigue hit when he opened the common room door, the steady rhythm of Ennoshita’s heart relaxing him and drawing him closer. He’d seen the room a few times when they were moving things in; the table off to the side would be great for the occasional round of poker, the bar could sit three or four people for a few drinks on a night off, and the leather couch facing the window that took up most of the wall was perfect for star-gazing.

When he peered over the couch, he found Ennoshita looking back, turning his head on the armrest to face him.

“Oi. Why aren’t you in bed?” Tanaka mumbled, reaching down to brush the stray strands of hair from Ennoshita’s sleepy eyes.

“I am in bed,” he muttered back as he watched the motion of Tanaka’s hand, the exhaustion thick in his voice.

Tanaka’s fingers wandered with his curiosity, running through Ennoshita’s hair. The dark locks were soft as silk under his fingertips. “Why are ya out here instead of your room?”

Ennoshita closed his eyes and leaned into the touch. “Commitment issues.”

“That makes no sense.” Tanaka pressed his fingertips against the scalp as he ran them deeper in the hair, drawing out a content sigh from his sleepy Connected.

“I haven’t had my own place for years. It’s weird,” Ennoshita murmured, sighed as he leaned into the hand.

“Too tired to push me away, huh?”

“Mhm. S’nice.”

“Then you ain’t too tired to stop me from draggin’ ya to your room.”

The infiltrator groaned, hiding his face in the side of the couch.

“C’mon, ya can’t sleep out here forever.” Tanaka removed his fingers from the hair to reach for Ennoshita’s hand, ignoring the groans of protest as he tugged him to his feet. Tanaka kept his grip around his palm as he led him down the hall, walking slowly to match the pace of Ennoshita’s slight limp.

Ennoshita looked at the door with dread, dropping Tanaka’s hand and stepping back. “Can we do this tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow never comes.”

“Fine, but only because I’m too tired to deal with you using proverbs.”

The door slid open, and Tanaka gently pushed Ennoshita’s back, nudging him through the threshold.

With reluctant steps Ennoshita stepped through, fingers grazing over the surfaces of the dresser and bed as he passed them on his way to the desk. “They’re giving me a laptop? After what I was arrested for?”

“They’re probably gonna monitor the shit out of your activity to check if you’re spyin’, so don’t watch porn unless ya want them knowing your kinks.”

“I’ve been locked up alone for almost a year. At this point, I don’t care if they know my ‘kinks’ in vivid detail.”

Tanaka was sure he had questions about those _kinks,_ but his sleepy mind couldn’t piece together the words to voice them aloud; his sleepy mind could, however, piece together that maybe asking was a bad idea - there was probably a list of reasons why, but damn if he could think of them right now. So instead he gave a lazy chuckle as he walked towards Ennoshita, his attention drawn away from his muddled thoughts to a steel box beside the laptop. “What’s in there?”

Ennoshita tugged off a note taped to the top, rubbing at his eye before reading. “‘Here are the items you requested - Shimizu.’” He flicked up the clasps to lift the lid, a faint gasp escaping his lips as he peeked inside. “No way, she couldn't have... “

Tanaka edged in closer, placing a hand on one of Ennoshita’s shoulders and peering over the other. “Whatcha got there?”

The box creaked as Ennoshita snapped it shut. “A few little things that could help.” With a teasing smirk, he added, “Maybe I’ll show you some time.”

“C’mon, I wanna see,” Tanaka pouted, resting his chin on Ennoshita’s shoulder.

“Not now, Tanaka.” He paused, tapping his finger on the steel lid. “You’re a rather affectionate person, aren’t you? You’re always touching someone.”

Tanaka lifted his chin from its perch but kept his hand in place. “That a bad thing?”

“I’m not sure.” Ennoshita traced a circle on the lid with his fingertip. “I don’t dislike it. But I’m not used to it. I’ve only stayed in contact with three people for years now, and two of them are currently flying this ship. I can’t even say I’m really close to them.”

“Sounds lonely.”

“That was my choice when I focused on being a thief. And _no,_ we’re not talking about that now. We both need sleep.”

“Tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow. We still need to talk about what happened today.” Ennoshita grew quieter as he continued. “Maybe we can talk about it without arguing.”

“We’re doin’ alright right now. I think we’ve got a shot at going half an hour without gettin’ at each other's throats,” Tanaka joked with a tired smile. “And if you want me to stop this-” he gave the shoulder under his hand a gentle squeeze, “lemme know.”

“Thank you.” Ennoshita tilted his head to face him, offering his own tired smile in return, and Tanaka felt something flutter in his stomach. The fluttering grew worse when Ennoshita placed his hand over his, squeezing his hand back. “Good night, Tanaka.”

When Tanaka reached his room beside Ennoshita’s, he pushed his bed against the wall that separated them. With the steady heartbeat finally close by where it belonged, sleep came easy.

* * *

“If you flick this one here, and floor the pedal when you do _this-”_ Tanaka swiped his hand across the holo-screen, and the ship abruptly twisted, “-the ship'll spin around on its own.”

Hinata watched with amazement, _oooh_ -ing and _aaah_ -ing like a kid at the circus. _He’s too damn cute._ Fluffy, orange hair bounced as he looked around excitedly, from the cockpit window to the command center down the way. “Senpai, nobody can tell we’re spinning, right? Because of the gravity stabilizers?”

“That’s right!” Tanaka couldn’t help it, he _had_ to pat Hinata’s head, ruffling the curls. “But don’t do this while Daichi-san’s around.”

Hinata settled back into the co-pilot seat, sitting with his legs folded beneath him. “Captain wouldn’t really throw us out of the airlock if he got mad, right? He just _says_ he will... right?”

“R-right,” Tanaka laughed nervously. “Daichi-san’s all talk when he says that. ...Gotta be that.” They both grew awfully quiet while Tanaka swiped at the screen again, stilling the ship back into place. “But just in case. Let’s maybe not do that again unless he’s asleep.”

It was a good thing he could sense Ennoshita from anywhere in the ship - a warmth that spread through his chest as he drew closer - because he didn’t make a single sound as he entered the cockpit. “Hinata, shouldn’t you be off enjoying your break?”

Hinata, on the other hand, couldn’t sense the infiltrator and jumped at least three feet in the air at the sudden new voice. “Ah! E-Ennoshita-san,” he stuttered after a wonderfully girly screech, “when did you get here?!”

A smile crept across Ennoshita’s lips - _Ain’t he so damn proud of himself for sneaking up on us_ \- and he curled his fingers around the back of Tanaka’s chair. “Why are you here on your day off, Hinata?”

“Tanaka-san was showing me some new tricks!” The kid was insatiable when it came to flying; he wanted to learn every technique and never leave the cockpit. Even sitting here with Tanaka, he was always creeping closer and closer to the pilot’s seat; probably didn’t even realize he was doing it.

“You should rest while you can. You’ll get plenty of chances to fly.”

“Just a little longer.” Hinata’s hunger would shine through his eyes when he stared out the cockpit window sometimes, and Tanaka had to wonder if the kid knew how damn _creepy_ he could look.

“Since you’re here then, maybe you could answer some questions about the ship for me.”

Thank the gods for Ennoshita, cause the creepy stare died quickly; Tanaka wasn’t sure how much of it he could take. “S-sure, Ennoshita-san, but I’m not so good with the details. I only fly.”

“Daichi-san mentioned a stealth system. Are we really invisible?”

Hinata shook his head. “No, it doesn’t work like that. We don’t show up on any scanners 'cause it hides the heat emissions.”

“Oh.” The disappointment was subtle on Ennoshita’s face, but Tanaka had enough practice watching his lips to catch the slight turn. “How does that work, then?”

The kid fidgeted in his chair. “The ship stores the heat, but only for a few hours if we’re moving.”

“But we’re only drifting now, right? How long can we keep it up while drifting?”

“A couple days, I think? Kageyama knows a trick.”

“What sort of trick?”

Hinata scratched the back of his head, his fidgeting growing worse with each question. “I don’t know. I just fly like he tells me.”

Ennoshita blinked. “Your engineer is doing things you don’t understand, and you just... go along with it?”

“It’s crazy, right?” Tanaka chuckled, spinning his chair to face the co-pilot seat. “I went with them on a test run after the hospital. They pulled off some crazy shit. I don’t think anyone else besides them could do it, too.” He ruffled Hinata’s hair again, and the kid grinned from ear to ear. _Adorable._ “Hinata, mind if I have a chat with Ghost?”

Adorable wide eyes flickered between Tanaka and Ennoshita. “Sure!”

_“Alone,_ Hinata.”

“Oh, oh! Right!” He jumped from his seat, giving the control panel one last longing glance before finally leaving the cockpit.

“Should I be worried about the ship storing heat?” Ennoshita took a seat in the chair abandoned by Hinata. “Or that you’re not even watching what you’re doing?”

“Nah. The ship’s got some fail-safe systems to keep anything from happening. And with Suga-san around, we don’t even need a pilot unless we gotta get the hell out. We keep one in the cockpit as a precaution.”

“I see.” Ennoshita was quiet for a moment, looking out at the stars through the window. “So... About yesterday. Do you think we could reach some sort of compromise?”

“Depends on whatcha got in mind.” He wasn't sure what he would even be willing to compromise on; he was still so damn impressed with what the infiltrator did yesterday, and he wasn't going to back down on that.

“We won yesterday. What I did was… Well, maybe it was the right thing to do after all.”

“No ‘maybes’. It damn well was.”

“Hear me out, Tanaka. It may have been the right move, but I still acted recklessly. And that may have been the answer at the time, but I… How do I say this…” Ennoshita faced him, pretty brown eyes searching Tanaka’s. “I just want you to recognize that the immediate solution isn't always a good one. I'm scared you're going to run headfirst into something dangerous and get hurt one day. You ran in after me-”

“That was Daichi-san’s call. But I woulda did it anyways.”

There was that smirk tugging the corner of those pretty lips. “You're not helping your case,  Tanaka.”

_But I got to see that smile, so it was worth it._ “Fine. So, you were sayin’ that you keep thinking about me, and that you're so worried about me-”

“ _As_ I was saying,” Ennoshita interrupted. “Actions have consequences. If you run in without thinking and get hurt, you can't help people anymore.” Turning back to the window, he kept his smirk and added, “And I suppose I'd be worried about you. Even if you seem to enjoy irritating me.”

“You're almost being nice to me. You feelin’ alright?” Tanaka teased back. _Actions have consequences, huh?_ Tanaka remembered Daichi dealing with Ukai, and how they were stuck drifting in space while waiting for an organized crime group to get in contact with them - all because of Ennoshita’s suggestion to question the slaver - and he had to admit that maybe he was a little bit right. _And maybe I don't wanna make him worry about me too much._ “Alright. I get it.”

“Can you promise to me, then? That you won't put yourself in danger unless it's absolutely necessary?”

“I ain't promisin’ anything.”

“Tanaka, please.” The smile was gone, and that was the worst example of ‘actions have consequences’. _I should think before I open my mouth sometimes._ Ennoshita continued, “I'm only asking you to think before you act sometimes.”

_Damn, he caught me there._ “Fine. But _only,”_ Tanaka flashed him a grin, “if you admit you were a hero down there yesterday.”

“What?! No way, I'm not saying that.”

“Why not?”

“Someone doesn't just _say_ that about themselves, Tanaka!” he groaned, leaning forward and hiding his face in his hands.

_So damn cute when he's embarrassed._ “Now you gotta say it just like that, or I ain't agreein’ to anything. Say ‘I am a damn hero that saved a bunch of people yesterday’.”

“I'm not saying that!”

“Then I ain't sayin’ anything either.”

Ennoshita groaned again, face still in his hands. “Fine. I… was a hero to some people yesterday.” He bent forward more until the back of his hands almost touched his knees. “Happy now?”

Tanaka laughed, rubbing Ennoshita’s back. “That's the most I'm getting out of ya, huh? Admit it, you're proud of yourself. I saw the look on your face when I called you a hero yesterday.”

“Are we done embarrassing me yet?” Ennoshita moved his hands, revealing his red face as he sat back up. “It’s your turn.”

“Alright, alright.” Tanaka resisted the urge to brush the stray strand of hair sticking to Ennoshita’s forehead. “I promise I'll be a bit more careful. Just a little bit.”

“That’s the most I’m getting out of you, hm?” A faint smile returned to Ennoshita’s lips, and all was right with with the star system again. “Probably for the better. I imagine if you weren’t so brash, you wouldn’t be you.”

Tanaka grinned back at him. “You sayin’ you like me the way that I am?”

“Maybe a little, when you’re not intent on aggravating me.” Ennoshita’s soft smile was definitely one of the best out there, Tanaka decided. He could stand to argue with him a bit less if it meant seeing that smile more. Ennoshita looked out towards the window, watching the stars for a moment as the comfortable silence settled over them. “Tanaka, why did you become a soldier?”

“Could you imagine me doing anything else?”

“No, not really. But there must be some reason you considered it.”

“You're right.” Tanaka leaned back in his seat, propping a foot up on the co-pilot chair beside Ennoshita’s leg. “Family lived on one of those small farming colonies. Raiders got us. I was barely out of diapers when it happened. Can't remember my parents, but I can remember hiding with my sis in a cupboard. Soldiers came and finished off the bastards. Decided I wanted to do that; being a soldier won't get my parents back, but maybe I could help some kids keep theirs.”

Ennoshita rested his hand on Tanaka’s shin beside him. “I'm sorry.”

“Oi. Don't gimme that look.” Tanaka tapped his foot against Ennoshita’s thigh. “Like I said, can't remember ‘em. Maybe it's screwed up to think it, but I have a hard time being sad about someone I barely knew. My sis did a good job raising me. She was a kid too, but she never gave up when things got tough.” He bashfully scratched the back of his neck. “She's _my_ hero. But don't tell her that, she'll never drop it.”

Ennoshita ran his thumb in slow circles on Tanaka’s shin. “When was the last time you've seen her? Since you're declared dead…”

“Four years. One more year and they say it's ‘safe’, then you bet your ass first thing I'm doing is flying straight to her. That damn choice wasn't mine; they thought the assholes that ambushed my team might come back for me. I wanted them to use me as a lure. Take-chan’s the one that got me to agree, said the assholes thinking I'm dead would give an advantage if we ever get a lead. He's got one more year to find me that lead.”

“About the ambush… What happened?”

“That's the thing: hell if I know. I don't even remember where we were or why we were there. I only know that one moment, everything was good. The next, I'm waking up on the floor, my arm is busted, and my men are all either dead or missing. Daichi-san and Asahi-san are the ones that found me. Noya’s the one that had to amputate the arm. After Yaku-san at Nekoma made the fake arm, I joined Daichi-san’s ship. Things were good for a while. Then Asahi-san joined another team for one mission, and we hear about the Cassardis massacre. Team fell apart after that.” Ennoshita listened quietly, brows furrowed and chewing on his bottom lip. Tanaka tapped his foot again. “Everything's good now though. Team's back - mostly - and now we got some new talent. Like a master thief,” he grinned, rewarded with Ennoshita’s light blush. “Same question back at ya: why a thief?”

Ennoshita smirked, brushing his bangs from his forehead. “Could you imagine me as anything else?”

“Sure I can. Office worker, one of those guys in a cubicle typing away on a computer all day, sometimes answering calls. Maybe IT, telling old people how to-”

“Okay, okay! I get it!” Ennoshita laughed. “I guess I'm a thief because of how much that idea terrifies me. This will probably sound selfish after what you told me, but I had your ‘ideal family’ growing up. Parents stayed married, had enough money to send me to the best private schools. Even had a white picket fence.” He paused, pulling his hand away. “Aaaand I sound like a jerk, saying all this as a preface to ‘I was bored of it all’.”

Tanaka shrugged, dropping his foot. “Nah, I get it. Sure, you sound like an ass for not being grateful for it. But that sorta life would drive me nuts, too.”

“I didn't even realize how much it was driving me insane until my first theft, to be honest.”

“C’mon, tell me about it. You know I’m curious as hell about this thief stuff.”

“I’ve never told anyone before.”

“Then make it a good story.”

“I’ll try.” _Damn that soft smile._ ”Ever since I was a kid, I was obsessed with spy movies. Watching the protagonist save the day through stealth and wit instead of brute force… I couldn’t get enough of it. I watched those movies all day - from the classics to the latest releases. I watched them over and over. I decided to go to school for directing and make some spy movies of my own. And I started researching all those skills the protagonists would use in more detail. What would really work? How could someone walk silently, how could someone get past security, how could someone fool cameras…” _His hands are nice. His hair is nice. His hands through his hair? Really damn nice._ “The more I got into it, the more my curiosity grew - what _would_ really work? I found myself looking at the world a little differently, mentally planning how I would get around unnoticed everywhere I went. Every camera, every guard… How would I get by them? Eventually, I decided to try it out, just for the experience. Or maybe it was to get it out of my system.” _S’cute the way he plays with his hair when he’s embarrassed._ “So I picked a museum to sneak into - a small time one, but decent security at all hours. I planned for months - mostly because I was nervous, and kept putting it off until it was eating away at me.”

Tanaka noted every motion, every subtle change in expression as Ennoshita dived deeper into the memory - the way he leaned forward, gaze concentrated on his open palms; the way his eyes lit up as he spoke of protagonists and sneaking around; the way he ran his fingers through his hair when he mentioned his growing curiosity; the way his lips curled into a shy smile when he confessed his anxiety over his plan. _I could watch him talk about this for hours._

“When I finally snuck in, it was… far easier than I expected. I was over-prepared. But it was still… exhilarating.” His bashful grin as his eyes flickered to Tanaka’s was straight up unfair with how cute it was, sending a wave of backflips through Tanaka’s stomach. ”I needed more. It wasn’t enough to just get from Point A to Point B. In the spur of the moment, I remembered how in some movies, the protagonist would need to steal something from an enemy base. So I went for it - I took a wooden carving. I don’t even remember what it was supposed to look like, or why I chose that out of everything there. I only remember that feeling when I grabbed it.” Ennoshita paused, biting his lip as he searched for the right words, and Tanaka’s eyes were drawn to the motion. “All that fear and excitement, boiled down to a single moment; it felt like gambling everything on the chance you could win billions, and watching that final number match up.

“When I escaped, I was terrified. Up until that moment, the worst thing I’d ever done was forget a homework assignment. I realized I really was gambling everything. So I burned the carving - I didn’t care how much it was worth, I just didn’t want to get caught. But that feeling - it felt greater than anything else I knew. It was worth gambling it all away. While I watched the carving burn, I knew my life was changed. I knew I couldn’t go without that feeling again.”

“So you kept doing it.”

Ennoshita nodded. ”I couldn’t stop. And somewhere along the line, I found out how a secret could be worth more than any material item.”

“I don’t get that. How’s a secret worth anything?”

“You must really not have any secrets if you can’t understand the fear,” Ennoshita remarked with a satisfied smirk. “Imagine a married man buys an expensive watch for his mistress. I could steal the watch and sell it, but for how much? On the other hand, what if I steal the receipt to show the wife instead? If the man was willing to pay so much for the watch, imagine how much more he’d be willing to pay to keep his affair a secret.”

“If the jackass was willing to do that in the first place…” Tanaka tapped a finger against his arm, thinking it over. “Guess that’s why Seijou’s so powerful, huh? Assholes doing shitty things get caught, and they’re willing to pay a fortune to keep their mouths shut.”

“Exactly. That’s how I got into business with them. And that was just with personal secrets; there was something far more dangerous and _empowering_ when I started stealing secrets from big name organizations. Even risked stealing some government secrets, just for the thrill. I was in too deep - but I loved it. I faked my death to cut all ties to my old life. I took a transport ship to a different planet where no one would recognize me. I moved from hotel to hotel, never staying in one place. I even did this.” He showed Tanaka his open hands. “See if you can find it.”

Tanaka raised an eyebrow. “What am I lookin’ at?”

“Look closely.”

Tanaka unfolded his arms, leaning forward to take Ennoshita’s hands in his. He ran his thumbs along the smooth skin of his palms, tracing the lines. “I don’t see anything.”

Ennoshita was all too pleased by that answer. “Exactly.”

“Huh?” Tanaka shifted closer, pulling the hands closer to him. He brushed his thumbs over the palms again, trailing up to his fingers. “There’s noth- Oh, shit.” He looked up at Ennoshita’s delighted grin. “You have no fingerprints?”

“Surgically removed. Had my contact in Seijou point me to a doctor that wouldn’t keep records of it. There’s no scars or any other kind of unique marks on my fingers. Gloves can usually hide your prints well enough, but I wanted to go the extra mile.”

Tanaka continued running his thumbs along Ennoshita’s hands, tracing the lines of his palms again. “What about here?”

“If you look, there’s only the major creases.”

Tanaka laughed, grabbing Ennoshita’s hands tighter as he looked up at the infiltrator. “You’re _crazy,_ you know that?”

Ennoshita laughed back lightly, a faint blush across his cheeks. “That means a lot coming from you.”

“Ha! You’re damn right it does.” He waited a moment, glancing back down at their hands. “You know what I think?” he began softly. “I think it’s even crazier that you haven’t realized it yet.”

Ennoshita tilted his head, confused. “Realized what?”

“That your life on this ship is gonna be like those spy movies - working for the good guys, using your clever tricks and sneaking around to save the day. You're the protagonist of your own spy flick now.”

The stunned reaction as his words sank in was like the day before, when Daichi said his choice wasn’t only good, but the quality of a leader - his pretty eyes grew wider, his pretty, pale lips parted, his slender fingers loosened their grip. But Tanaka wasn’t prepared for when it got even better; for the first time since he met him, Ennoshita smiled more than the usual small smile or a smug grin - he beamed from ear to ear, white teeth and blushing cheeks and a glee that reached his eyes.

Then his own damn words hit him - _‘I think it’s even crazier that you haven’t realized it yet.’_

The somersaults in Tanaka’s stomach, the need to pull Ennoshita close and make it all okay whenever he looked upset, the way Tanaka couldn’t stop watching him - hell, how had he _not_ noticed it before? How often had he been jealous Ennoshita was looking at other men, but not him? How often did he tease him, or touch his shoulder, or clap him on the back, just to see his reaction? How often had he stared, entranced by those dark eyes and pale lips only two feet away from him now?

How long had he been a little bit crazy for Ennoshita?

How long had he- _Shit,_ how long had he been staring, cause Ennoshita was looking straight at him, watching him with brows knit in confusion and-

“Incoming call from Johzenji! Daichi, report to the comm room!” Suga chirped through the intercom.

Ennoshita pulled his hands away, awkwardly clearing his throat. “Right. Johzenji was supposed to call.” He scratched the back of his head, looking around the cockpit. “I’m a bit curious.”

Tanaka stood up, offering his hand. “Let’s go check it out.”

Ennoshita glanced from the hand, back up to Tanaka. “Shouldn’t you be staying in here?”

“Probably.” He made a grabbing motion with his hand, urging Ennoshita to take it.

“You’re a menace, you know that?” Ennoshita took the hand, letting Tanaka pull him up from his seat, but letting go as Tanaka led them down the hall to the comm room.

The projection of Johzenji’s leader smirked at Daichi. “Sawamura-kun! I’ve missed you~”

Daichi pinched the bridge of his nose. “What’s the situation, Terushima?”

“I was thinking you should come over to my place. Have a few drinks, talk a bit, get to know each other better.”

“Terushima. The situation.”

“Hmph. So boring.” Terushima turned around, looking over his shoulder at Daichi. “I mean it. Come to my club down planetside. Things got interesting, and I’m not sharing details over a comm channel. You can bring your men, but no guns or armor - I don’t allow that kind of stuff in my club.”

“Define ‘interesting’.”

“I will. At my club. See you soon, Sawamura-kun~”


	5. spatial awareness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tanaka’s touches were… something. But they weren't the reason Ennoshita was curled up in his room and talking to an AI about feelings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings for this chapter: A character experiences a panic attack. If this is something you wish to skip, you'll want to skip from "He stumbled out of bed, barely registering the too cold floor beneath his feet" to "After a few more quiet minutes in each".
> 
> Word Count: 13,036  
> [Panic! at the Disco - Death of a Bachelor](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fl2OvKxMA0s)

_"You're the protagonist of your own spy flick now."_

Tanaka was exaggerating, of course; Ennoshita was hardly the protagonist of anything. He wasn't a spy, this special tasks group was hardly focused on infiltration, and one mission didn't make him a hero - or even feel like a real part of the team.

But Tanaka’s words certainly painted a pretty picture.

He wasn't a spy working for "the good guys" in some over-the-top action flick, but he _was_ working as an infiltrator for a military unit - if he wanted to use stealth and wit to save the day, this was where he could do it.

Maybe… Maybe Tanaka was right, in that way.

And if Tanaka was maybe a little bit right, if Ennoshita's life was now truly like the espionage movies he adored as a child - _Starring Ennoshita Chikara as the clever and graceful agent ready to save the day, featuring the wild yet stalwart Tanaka Ryuunosuke fighting tenaciously by his side_ \- then the command center was where each movie began. The honorable captain Sawamura Daichi would gather the team of eccentric but lovable characters around the table to brief them on the new mission, setting the wheels of the plot in motion.

“Terushima forwarded the coordinates to his club-”

“And some _interesting_ photos of himself-”

“Suga, _please,_ I'd like to erase that from my memory,” Daichi groaned, rubbing his temples in a futile attempt to wipe the images from his mind. “He said that armor and weapons aren't allowed, but it seems everything else is permitted. Shimizu, do we have any cameras to attach to our jackets so we can keep Suga patched in?”

“Not for jackets.” From across the crowded table in the command center, Shimizu looked directly at Ennoshita, her silent cue for him to follow up her vague explanation.

_Right. The box._ “I have a camera we can use. It shouldn't take more than a few minutes for me to set it up.”

"Good." Even if Ennoshita was hardly responsible for the solution - it was thanks to Shimizu he even had the camera, after all - there was still something gratifying about earning the captain's nod of approval. "Hinata, Kageyama, you two take the helm. Everyone else, be ready for when we land.”

“Um!” Yachi wrung her hands as all eyes landed on her. “M-maybe you should go in a smaller group... Just in case..." With each syllable she grew quieter, her voice fading into silence. "Too many would draw attention, and their patrons sometimes like to cause trouble…”

“Then we need _more_ people. Show ‘em not to mess with us.” Tanaka crossed his arms in front of his chest, and Ennohita's eyes were drawn to the exposed biceps. _Which god should I thank for his love of tanktops?_ The robotics specialist that made the artificial arm did an excellent job of shaping it to match the real one, but it still lacked the appeal, the alluring and subtle ways the muscles moved with every motion of his arms.

Daichi shook his head. “Not this time, Tanaka. I want to get in and get out quickly. We'll make this a volunteer mission. Who's coming down with me?”

“If ya want subtlety, you should bring Ghost.” Tanaka pat Ennoshita’s back, sending his mind racing as the hand remained.

_That's just what he does. He touches people._ Ruffling Hinata’s hair, hugging Nishinoya, wrapping his arm over _everyone's_ shoulders at some point - Tanaka was always touching someone and didn't seem to think anything of it. _So why am I starting to think anything of it?_ “Not this time. I should avoid walking around on my ankle if I can. It's still a little swollen.”

Tanaka _pouted,_ and for hardly the first time, Ennoshita was left to think _Why is this grown man acting this way,_ but it was… endearing, somehow. _I make friends with someone, and suddenly I tolerate when they act like a child. I've spent too long avoiding attachments._

“Hmph. Well, I'm goin’ down there.”

“Remember, we're _avoiding_ fights, Tanaka.”

“Don't worry, Daichi-san. I can play nice.”

“If you start anything while we're there, you'll be spending some quality time cleaning the airlock.” Satisfied with Tanaka’s pseudo-nonchalant whistle, Daichi looked around the table. “We need one more.”

Shimizu’s quiet voice carried across the command center. “I'll go.”

All eyes turned to the weapons master. “Kiyoko-san! Don't go where I can't follow!”

Tanaka pat his friend on the back, another casual touch made without a thought. “I'll watch her closely for you, Noya-san!”

“I'm counting on you, Ryuu,” Noya replied solemnly.

_He touches everyone. That's what he does._ Except Tanaka’s left hand fell away from Noya immediately, while his right still lingered on Ennoshita’s back. _It must be because we had a moment. That has to be it. Don’t overthink it, Chikara._

"Are you sure, Shimizu?" Daichi's concern was subtle, but it was there, laced in his voice and wrinkling his brow. _Does he expect trouble she's not trained for?_ “Someone else can go if it makes you uncomfortable.”

Shimizu shook her head, offering a faint yet reassuring smile that complimented her demeanor. “It’s fine.”

Daichi nodded back to her, mirroring her small smile with his own confident one. “It’s settled, then. Tanaka, Shimizu, and I will go down. Ennoshita will set up his camera.” The captain clapped his hands together, dismissing the team and cutting the first scene to Ennoshita's new movie life. “Alright everyone, to your stations. Let’s get this over with.”

* * *

“S’There a reason we’re in a bathroom?”

Ennoshita placed a plastic case no larger than the palm of his hand beside a bottle on the sink counter. “You wanted to know what was in the box. This is part of it.” Rolling up his sleeves, he watched Tanaka’s reflection in the mirror; as expected, his face lit up at the mention of the steel box, his curiosity inching him closer to the plastic on the counter. “Don’t touch it.”

Tanaka pouted again, - _I shouldn't consider a grown man with stubble pouting 'cute', yet here I am._ \- and Ennoshita couldn’t help his smirk, washing his hands under the faucet. “Have you ever worn contacts, Tanaka?”

"Huh?" Tanaka's head tilt reminded Ennoshita of a confused dog. _That must be why the pout is cute; he's a giant dog that doesn't realize he's not a puppy anymore._ “What’s that gotta do with anything?”

“Right now, everything.” He flicked the water from his hands before returning to the small case, taking care as he lifted the top to reveal a pair of contact lenses. “These are cameras, and you’ll be wearing one.”

Tanaka moved in even closer, enough that Ennoshita could feel the heat from Tanaka’s chest against his back. It was hard to resist leaning into the warmth, and Tanaka's hand on one shoulder as he peered over the other only made the idea more tempting. “You’re shittin’ me.”

Some part of him felt a strange sort of guilt with every detail he told Tanaka about his lifestyle - his time alone, his background, his fingerprints - but it was hard to keep it all a secret anymore when Tanaka listened and watched so intently, the childish glee dancing in his eyes in the mirror's reflection as he witnessed a mystery unravelling. “Look closely.” Uncapping the bottle and pouring a few drops of contact solution onto his fingers, he carefully removed a lens from the case and lifted it to Tanaka’s eye level. “Do you see the rings around it? All of the features that a camera would have are in those. With Suga-san and Yamaguchi’s help, I’ll be able to see everything you see from my laptop while it’s happening.”

“Wait, wait- hold on a sec.” Tanaka crossed his eyes to look at the tiny lens in front of him - _A dog watching a butterfly on his snout._ \- but he eyed it with suspicion all the same. “That ain't goin’ in my eye.”

“You won’t feel it there after the first minute, I promise.”

After a moment’s hesitation, eyes darting between the lens and Ennoshita’s reflection, Tanaka grumbled his reply. “Fine. But I don’t know how to put that shit on.”

Ennoshita poured a little extra contact solution over the lens to rinse it. “That’s fine. I can do it for you.” He spun around, immediately struck with the realization of how close Tanaka was, his handsome face only a few inches away. He lightly shoved at Tanaka's chest, buying himself a few centimeters of breathing room. “Do you have any idea what personal space is?”

Tanaka chuckled as he stepped back a whopping four inches away. “Hey, you’re the one that moved.”

_He's a lapdog with no idea he's too big to be climbing on people._ “I’m going to take that as a no, then,” Ennoshita quipped, unable to keep the fond smirk from tugging at his lips. “Honestly, you really have no sense of-” A beat in his chest stole his attention, the sensation of the soldier's heart picking up speed while his eyes were trained on Ennoshita's smile. “Are you alright?” Ennoshita brought his hand back up to Tanaka’s chest, feeling the rapid beat. “Your heart’s racing.”

Tanaka was like an eight-year-old caught stealing from the cookie jar, eyes wide and mouth open in guilty protest. “I-I’m fine. Just… nervous?”

Ennoshita raised an eyebrow, smirking. “Are you asking me or telling me?”

The usual grin returned instantly, a flash of sharp teeth and mirth. “I tell ya I'm nervous, and you sass me? I thought Connected were supposed to help when you're nervous.”

“I guess you bring out the bully in me,” Ennoshita teased. “There's no need to be nervous. This won't hurt at all.” Tanaka turned his head away as Ennoshita brought the lens on his finger closer to Tanaka's eye. “Look at me, Tanaka,” he insisted softly, bringing his other hand from Tanaka’s chest to his cheek and gently nudging him to face him.

Tanaka reluctantly complied, fixing his eyes on Ennoshita's. _He's handsome._ The five o'clock shadow that peppered Tanaka’s jaw and scratched Ennoshita’s fingers, the straight slope of his nose, the full lips often pulled into a wicked grin, the sharp angle of his gray eyes - he was probably the best looking man on the ship, even a step above Daichi. _Not that I'd ever admit that out loud._ Fetching gray eyes looked away when the lens was close again. Ennoshita brushed his thumb over the coarse stubble, gently urging him to look his way. “It'll only take a moment, Tanaka.”

Tanaka met his eyes again, bringing his hands up to Ennoshita’s waist. _He's always touching someone. Must be a source of comfort to him._ True to his word, it only took a moment, using an extra finger to push down the skin beneath his eyelid and swiftly pressing the lens in place.

Tanaka blinked rapidly, lifting a palm to press against his eye. “Feels funny.”

Ennoshita grabbed Tanaka's wrists, pulling the hands away from both his waist and Tanaka’s eye. “That'll go away if you don't mess with it.” He ran his thumb under Tanaka’s eye, wiping away the tears and excess contact solution he blinked away.

Tanaka blinked a few more times before finally looking back at him. “I can see those little rings on it. Reminds me I'm doing some cool espionage shit. Can anyone else see it?”

“They'd have to look _very_ closely,” Ennoshita replied, leaning in to take a look. The fine rings of the camera framed Tanaka’s gray eye, hardly noticeable unless someone was only a few inches away. Ennoshita's gaze flickered to trace the shape of Tanaka's eyes down to his cheekbone. _Not a bad view._ He pulled away, turning back to the sink to run his hands under the water once more. “For now, that's fine. Nobody said cameras weren't allowed, but this is our only option for the moment.”

Tanaka followed close behind as Ennoshita led them out of the bathroom and to his room. “Did ya use these when you were stealin’ stuff?”

“Sometimes. I had to be careful about destroying videos after I gave them to Seijou.” Settling into his desk chair with Tanaka standing behind him - with a hand resting on Ennoshita's shoulder, of course - Ennoshita opened the contact case again, pulling out the laptop attachment and plugging it in. “Should only take a moment.”

After a few seconds, the view on the screen following Tanaka’s gaze showed the back of Ennoshita’s neck, the turtleneck hiding all but a sliver of skin near his hairline before the camera quickly shot over to the laptop. “No shit. It really works.”

The shot turned to Ennoshita’s lips as he smiled at Tanaka's amusement. “Looks like you’re ready to go. I’m going to set up a separate comm channel between us. Suga-san, can you stay patched in this way?”

Suga's jointed arms waved excitedly when he popped onto the screen. “Yamaguchi will help keep me in range from the shuttle! I’ll inform Daichi that we’re ready!”

Ennoshita turned to Tanaka to flash him a soft smile. “Try not to get into trouble since I won’t be there to stop you.”

Tanaka squeezed his shoulder, and Ennoshita found himself missing that playful grin before it was even gone. “I ain’t promising anything.”

* * *

Between the long, uncomfortably crowded line of people wrapping around the club ridiculously named ‘The Playground’ and the raised voices of the prematurely drunk patrons far too excited to get in only to drink even more, Ennoshita was grateful he was in the audience for this scene. There was a certain appeal to sitting comfortably in his room and watching his team through the laptop with Suga, supporting them and yet still hidden away. Suga’s image lay along the bottom of the screen, a tiny box of popcorn in hand as he silently watched along.

Now if only Ennoshita could keep the cameraman on target. “Tanaka, I could do without seeing Shimizu-san’s ass every thirty seconds.”

“Ya sure about that? Might cure your grouchiness. I know it's medicine to me.”

“If I seem grouchy, it's because you're causing it. Now keep your eyes up, or I'll tell Shimizu-san.”

The view on the camera immediately shot up. “Sir. Yes, sir.”

A man approached, so stereotypically fitting the look of a bouncer with sunglasses, a shaved head, and a tight shirt that read ‘SECURITY’ hugging his broad form that Ennoshita had to stifle a laugh. _It really feels like I'm watching a movie now._ It was hard to hear him over the drunk man singing off-key nearby, but Ennoshita caught the words “boss’s special guests” before he led Daichi, Shimizu, and Tanaka to the front of the line - despite the complaints of anyone sober enough to notice - and through the club doors.

Tanaka let out a low whistle at the sight of the crowded dance floor larger than a department store, its blaring music and flashing multicolor lights peeking through the rolling smoke reminding Ennoshita yet again how grateful he was to be a spectator this time. _I hope for their sake that smoke is from fog machines._ Of course, Tanaka’s eye was immediately drawn to the platforms nearby - or rather, the dancers on them in various states of undress and swaying provocatively to the rhythm. “Tanaka, if you ever tease me for checking someone out again, I'm going to play this video back to you.”

“How's that one for ya?” The camera focused on one particular dancer whose shirt was nowhere to be seen, sweat rolling down his well-defined torso and _how did he manage to fit that ass into those tight pants?_ His wink and blown kiss in Tanaka's direction only spurred more teasing. “Oh, I like him. If I bring ‘im back to the ship, maybe I'll share.”

Suga must have been enjoying the view too, wolf-whistling obnoxiously at the display. “Hubba hubba!”

“Not you too, Suga-san!” Ennoshita laughed, experimentally clicking on the AI on the screen. Suga giggled as he squirmed and tried to swat away the cursor ‘tickling' him. “You're both ridicu- Wait.” Ennoshita clicked on the window, foolishly willing the camera to turn around. “Tanaka, look back at that bartender.”

“Why? He your type?”

Ennoshita zoomed in, getting the best view he could of the man serving drinks with a forced smile, fake laughter stopping short of the cute, brown eyes that burned in Ennoshita’s memory. _That's him, without a doubt._ “If my type is ‘exists to make my life hell’, then yes.”

“What's that supposed to mean?” Tanaka asked, sounding almost accusatory in his confusion.

Ennoshita anxiously rubbed the magnetic shackle around his wrist. “It means it's a good thing I didn't go down with you, because I would have been recognized by someone who knows I should be locked up.”

_How much should I say? This secret isn't mine to tell._

He wouldn’t be telling only Tanaka, either; Suga, as adorable as he could be, was still an artificial intelligence that recorded and analyzed everything he saw and heard.

_But that man pretending to be a bartender means nothing to me now, and my team deserves to know all I can tell them. I'm not a hoarder of secrets anymore._

“That's my old Seijou contact," Ennoshita finally confessed. Even if the fake bartender had only ever caused him trouble, he still felt a wave of guilt burn in his chest as the words tumbled from his mouth. _It's been relieving to share my secrets with Tanaka, but sharing Yahaba’s makes me feel like a traitor, even if I don't report to him anymore._ He tapped his finger on the desk, holding his breath for a beat as he contemplated if he should stop there. _Why do I like to share my past with Tanaka?_ “And the closest I've had to a relationship since I became a thief.”

“Eh?! That guy’s an agent of Seijou?!” Tanaka weaved through the tightly packed crowd to get a better look. “He looks like a wimp. Bet I can take ‘im in a fight.”

_“That's_ your concern?!”

“You sounded kinda sad when you said the relationship thing.” Tanaka sounded a bit sad himself, a serious tone in his voice that Ennoshita had only heard before when they would argue. “Figured he broke your heart or somethin’. Should make ‘im pay for hurting ya.”

It _had_ stung when Yahaba stopped answering his calls without any explanation, even if their “relationship” beyond Seijou was limited to the bedroom. No more deceptively cute eyes dancing with mischief when he looked his way, no more ashen brown hair splayed across his pillow, no more long nights wrestling for control between the sheets. The only unchanging variable had been his absence when Ennoshita woke in the morning; Yahaba never stayed once the fun was over, and that was sign enough that he never intended it to be anything more. Ennoshita was never sure if that was all he had wanted either. _He hasn't crossed my mind since this whole Connected mess started, anyways._ “I appreciate the sentiment, Tanaka, but that's not an enemy you want to make. He's craftier than Takeda-san and merciless to boot. I’d rather have nothing more to do with him.”

“Your call. Offer’s there if ya change your mind.”

_Tanaka cares for people in his own strange ways. It's refreshing compared to Yahaba’s concern for only himself and Seijou._ “Thank you, Tanaka,” he replied, grateful Tanaka wasn't there to catch the goofy way he was smiling down at his laptop. _I’ll never get used to this._

Suga brought his round hand to his jaw, as pensive as the doll could appear. “Shall I inform Shiratorizawa about the agent of Seijou?”

_Rat out Yahaba?_ Shiratorizawa had been hunting Seijou for years, and Ennoshita was technically allied with the military group instead of the keepers of secrets now, even if he’d never met anyone from Shiratorizawa. _It still feels like a betrayal. We were… friends, or something like it._ “Leave that up to Daichi-san. I don't think Johzenji would appreciate Shiratorizawa showing up.”

_Speaking of Daichi-san._ “Tanaka! What are you doing?!” the captain scolded, dragging Tanaka with him. “Get back over here, Terushima is this way!”

Through the crowds and smoke, the camera followed Daichi’s back - to the delight of both Ennoshita and Suga - until the three stopped in front of a guarded door with two familiar mercs gesturing them through. “Boss is waiting for you.”

Like the bouncer and the dance floor, the backroom looked like it was straight out of a movie. An extra bar to the right, a monitor bigger than Ennoshita’s bed to the left, and unnecessarily large leather couches that seated the “boss” and his VIPs front and center. “Sawamura-kun! You made it- Who is _this_ beauty?” Terushima purred, pushing up from his oversized couch with his gaze set on Shimizu.

It was a good thing the other woman in the room intervened quickly, because Ennoshita could hear Tanaka growling through the comm. “Kiyoko-chan!” The girl with chestnut eyes that matched her chin-length hair hugged Shimizu, and the weapons master returned the embrace with a warm smile ordinarily reserved for Yachi.

Terushima’s smile, on the other hand, fell quickly. “‘Kiyoko’? You don't mean… _The_ Shimizu Kiyoko?”

“That's right!” the female merc beamed. “The leader of my old mercenary group!”

_I figured she had a secret, but I didn't expect that._ Ennoshita could practically hear Tanaka’s confusion, an exaggerated ‘Huh?!” followed by too much blinking. _No wonder her profile was vague. Sounds like she’s well known in the underground communities, though._

“That's… something,” Terushima gulped, stepping back cautiously.

“She's with Karasuno now?” a familiar merc from the day before - _Hanamaki, was it?_ \- asked, eyes gleaming like he struck gold.

“Let’s get this over with.” Terushima flashed Daichi an uneasy smile. “Sawamura-kun, your prize is this way.” He gave Shimizu a wide berth before he led them down a stairwell behind the bar, insisting she could ‘stay upstairs to catch up with Misaki’; Shimizu declined with a mischievous glint in her, basking in Terushima’s discomfort.

The new room downstairs, unfortunately, was another setting straight from a movie; completely unlit, the only source of light shining from the hallway barely illuminated the mostly empty room to reveal a few tables with various blades and tools - but the focus of Tanaka’s attention was on the surviving slaver in the center of the room, unconscious and tied to a chair.

Daichi spoke for all of them when he asked breathlessly, “Terushima, what the hell is this?!”

“Relax, Sawamura-kun. I didn't touch him. Bringing someone in here in enough to crack them. Usually.” From what little light shined on the slaver, Ennoshita could see Terushima wasn’t lying; other than the large bruise across his cheek from Tanaka’s gun, he appeared unharmed.

Terushima kicked the chair, startling the slaver awake and grabbing him by the jaw. “Tell the pretty man what you told me. Why are you selling people?”

“I-I'm just working for my uncle's business! I didn't-”

“Oi. I didn't ask anything else yet. You only talk when I ask,” Terushima interrupted, tightening his forceful grip on the jaw. “So you work for your uncle's company. What's your name?”

“Y-Yamaoka! Yamaoka Yuta!”

From the corner of the camera’s view, Ennoshita noticed Daichi’s fists as he spoke between clenched teeth, hands balled up so tightly he could see the strain in his forearms. “President Yamaoka’s nephew?”

The slaver nodded his head in Terushima’s grasp nervously, teeth chattering.

_President Yamaoka? In slave trade?_

President Yamaoka was the reason Cassardis had grown and prospered to the point of being a household name regardless of the planet someone lived on; during his 16 years in office, the colony made strides in development, with most of the costs paid for from Yamaoka’s own seemingly endless pockets. His generosity was the first stone thrown into a lake, rippling through Cassardis and forming a community focused on giving, and helping one another, never asking for more in return. _But if he was involved in slave trade, then that could explain- No, that’s ridiculous. There’s no way._

Daichi, on the other hand, didn’t seem surprised in the least. “Terushima, who else knows about this?”

“Only a handful of my men. This is why I wanted to talk in person. Holo-calls can get hacked.” He pushed at the slaver’s jaw before he dropped his grip. “I’m not an idiot. If this is real, it’s trouble. People revere Yamaoka as a hero. They name libraries and shit like that after the guy. Cassardis would riot if news broke out. If Cassardis falls to hell, so does all the space I control outside of it.”

“Anything else you could figure out?”

“He gave us a location to another base. _The_ base, he says,” Terushima scoffed, air-quoting ‘the’ for emphasis. “My men looked into it, and it checks out. You gonna storm it with us? Shut this shithole down for good?”

Daichi crossed his arms tightly, tapping his foot as he considered Terushima’s proposal. “Give me a week. I’ve got someone who needs to be here for this.”

Judging by Terushima’s smirk, that was exactly what he wanted to hear. “I’ll do you one better. I’ll give you two weeks before I blow that place to hell, with or without you.” He kicked at the slaver’s chair again. “Now, for this guy here-”

“I’m taking him to Dateko. Let him spend his life in lockup,” Daichi snarled.

“Do you have a place to store him on your ship?”

Daichi’s scowl sent a chill down Ennoshita’s spine. “He can ride in the airlock.”

* * *

Ennoshita’s curiosity far outweighed his hesitation as he and Tanaka followed Daichi storming into the comm room.

“It’s bullshit, isn’t it, Daichi-san? President Yamaoka wouldn’t-”

“It’s not bullshit, Tanaka, and he would have,” Daichi snapped, no pause in his path to the holo-call control panel. Tanaka didn’t dare argue back, choosing instead to shoot Ennoshita a confused look.

_I don’t want to believe it either, Tanaka._

Despite the captain’s fury, the sudden _bang_ as Daichi’s fist met the steel control panel was still unexpected; Ennoshita flinched, tripping over his own foot as he stumbled back. _Some graceful master of stealth I am._ It was far less of a surprise that Tanaka was quick to grab his arm, resting a hand on his back to keep Ennoshita steady. Ennoshita tried to give him a nod, a silent _Thank you for not letting me fall and look like an ass,_ but Tanaka was distracted, watching Daichi with concern.

“Daichi…” Suga cooed from the intercom. “This is a positive opportunity, isn't it?” he asked softly, a reassuring tone Ennoshita hadn’t heard from the AI before. “We can remove the last of the remnants. We can end this mess for good.”

“You're right.” Daichi let out a deep breath, no doubt attempting to exhale at least some of his fury. “You're right,” he repeated after a moment, calmer the second time. “But after what happened… I thought this was done haunting us.”

“This never stopped haunting us, Daichi,” Suga replied, so softly that the synthetic undertone Ennoshita had no longer noticed resonated clearly, reminding everyone it was still there. “But with this chance, we can end it and move on. Or at least... change what we can, and bury the past.”

Through the communicator channel for Tanaka’s and Ennoshita’s ears alone, Suga continued, “Times like these, I wish I could provide physical comforts as you two can.”

Tanaka was always touching, but Suga… Suga didn't have the option.

Tanaka did what Suga couldn't, walking up to Daichi to squeeze his shoulder. Daichi placed his hand over Tanaka’s, returning the gesture and squeezing the hand under his. Another deep exhale escaped his lips before he dropped his grip. “I need to be alone with Suga for this call. We have half a day before we reach the primary Dateko headquarters. Go enjoy the break while you can.”

Tanaka wasted no time returning his hand to Ennoshita’s back, gently pushing him out the door.

“You know, Tanaka, I can walk on my own,” Ennoshita whispered as the door slid shut behind them, hoping his teasing tone would help lighten the heavy mood.

“But you’re so slow,” Tanaka teased back, offering Ennoshita an uncharacteristically faint smile. He paused outside of the comm room, the thick door swallowing any sound from inside. “How’s the ankle?”

Ennoshita rolled his ankle carefully, testing the wrap around it. “Swelling is minimal. Nishinoya helped me a bit with it earlier.” He eyed the door for a moment, curiosity still unsated. “Who do you think he’s calling?”

“My guess? It’s Asahi-san.”

_Just what I didn’t want to hear._ If the others trusted him, then whatever he read about Azumane from his profile had to be off somehow, false or exaggerated in the same way his and Tanaka’s deaths were on their own profiles. _Doesn’t change how the idea of him being around makes me nervous. I was getting used to the possibility he wouldn’t show up._ “What makes you say that?”

“He called ‘im after we dealt with the slavers. Told ‘im to be ready.” Tanaka’s hand slid from his back, leaving a chill in its wake.

_It’s cold without his touch._

It hit him like the sudden chill, freezing through his clothes, through his skin, ice cutting to the bone. Tanaka was always touching - and Ennoshita _liked_ it. Maybe even craved it. _I need to stop getting used to it._ The special treatment was only temporary, a result of their moment in the cockpit. There was nothing more to it, just Tanaka being Tanaka.

_I’m only setting myself up to get hurt._

Ennoshita rolled his ankle again, trying to focus his attention on the motion of his foot instead of Tanaka. “Do you think that means he’ll join us after all?”

“I dunno. Since Daichi-san told ‘im to get ready, I’m guessing he was expectin’ something like this would happen and get Asahi-san on board.” Tanaka ducked his head, forcing his way into Ennoshita’s line of sight and looking up at him with the same concern he had for Daichi. _Too close._ “You’re nervous? Is it ‘bout Asahi-san?”

Ennoshita lifted his head, placing whatever little space he could between them. “Am I making it that obvious?”

“Nope. It’s here.” Tanaka tapped at Ennoshita’s chest with his index finger. For the first time, Ennoshita could remember, Tanaka’s touch didn’t linger, leaving an ache in its absence. _I could write a novel about all the things wrong with me wanting more._ “Heart picks up when someone mentions ‘im. You don’t need to worry. He’s a good guy.”

“I… I know.” Ennoshita’s sigh was heavy with resignation as he leaned his weight against the door. “You and Nishinoya spoke about him as if he were an angel that could do no wrong-”

“And he saved me!”

“-and he saved you-”

“And me!” Suga chimed in from the comm.

“And Suga-san,” Ennoshita repeated, peering into the alluring gray eyes that were a safe two feet away now. _As far as I can get, anyway._ “But it’s hard to shake the feeling. The media made him out to be some sort of boogeyman.”

Tanaka’s chuckle was _teasing_ to Ennoshita’s ears, a cruel example of how deep and raspy his voice could be. _I wonder how he sounds when- No way, Chikara, that thought stops_ right _there._ “Seijou’s a big, bad boogeyman too, ya know,” Tanaka quipped with another dangerous chuckle, his enchanting eyes dancing with delight at his own remark.

“True enough,” Ennoshita attempted a feeble smile. “But you only need to fear Seijou if you have secrets.”

“And there’s no reason to fear Asahi-san, secrets or no.” Tanaka grinned, hands on his hips, satisfied with his logic.

“I imagine you’re right. I’m just…” _...lost in your eyes._  

The gray eyes peering into his own were captivating, pulling Ennoshita in deeper, calling him closer. It wasn’t only Tanaka’s eyes; the curve of his lips, the stubble across his jaw, the warm hand that was too far away now - _What would it be like to kiss him?_ To kiss that stupid grin off his face and feel the warmth of his full lips, to have that stubble scratching his chin, to taste Tanaka’s sigh as he ran his fingers through Ennoshita’s hair again-

The distracting fine lines of the contact were his saving grace. “I’m just a little wary. I’ll shake it off,” he finished quickly. _I need to get out of here._ “To take out the contact, wash your hands and slide the contact to the white of your eye and pinch it to pull it out. Go ahead and throw it away since it wouldn’t be sanitary to wear it again after a few weeks.”

Tanaka’s gorgeous eyes grew wider, his full lips falling apart in his surprise. “Wait, wait, wait. You’re not gonna help me with it?”

_That would mean getting close again._ “Not this time, Tanaka. I need…” _I need to get away._ “I need to take care of something on my laptop.”

The hint of sadness in Tanaka’s voice was a spear through Ennoshita’s chest when Tanaka asked, “It can’t wait till later?”, and Ennoshita’s desire to leave was torn between dissolving completely or taking over his legs and running, fleeing as far as he could.

_If he touches me now, my willpower will shatter._ “It did wait. We’ll talk later, alright?”

“A-alright.” Tanaka’s shoulders drooped ever so slightly. “See ya, then.”

Ennoshita could only muster a polite nod before walking away, refusing to look back and picking up his limping pace the moment he turned the corner.

* * *

_This is a problem._

The closed door behind his back was a small comfort, a sliver of privacy away from the man that was drawing Ennoshita in, making him want more than the simple touches he gave so freely.

_This film isn’t supposed to be a romance._

He couldn’t deny it; there was something there, something more than “Look at the hot guy.” Tanaka had already done so much for him. Tanaka stood up for him when he didn’t want to stand up for himself. Tanaka gave him a new perspective about his life on the ship, opened his eyes to the idea that maybe he was living his wildest childhood dreams. Hell, Tanaka broke doors without hesitation to rescue him.

_And now I’m repaying him by overthinking his friendly nature. Some friend I am._ “Friend”... That wasn’t a word he used often in his life, and when did it apply to Tanaka? How did their bickering become playful? How did they start ending their fights with talks and compromises? How did telling Tanaka about his past become as easy as breathing?

But being friends... That was _ideal._ Not only were they teammates, they were _Connected;_ from the first moment he felt Tanaka’s heartbeat, Ennoshita knew their lives and fates would be intertwined in a way he’d never experience with another. With the chips that bound them further, they’d be working closely together on each mission they’d face for the next seven years. Being friends… being friends was _good._ Great. Perfect, even. To work together, and get along when all was said and done, friends was what they needed to be.

Anything else was complicated, a gamble for disaster that he’d have to deal with for the rest of their lives.

_Maybe this feeling’s as temporary as his touches._ That had to be it; he hadn’t been close to anyone in years - Narita and Kinoshita were friends, but there were no touches, no confessions about his past as a thief. Maybe it was as simple as that, as overreacting because it had been so long since he’d had a friendship like this. _I’ll look back on this in a few weeks and laugh._

But until the feeling faded, he could only laugh bitterly at the circumstances. _I didn’t even want to be Connected to anyone._

His sigh trailed behind him as he made his way to the computer chair. Resting his chin on his arms folded across the desk, he watched Tanaka on the laptop screen hesitate before the bathroom mirror. _I should have helped him with the lens._ It was hard to ignore the melancholy that haunted Tanaka, the frown that didn’t suit him and the sorrow that didn’t belong in his captivating eyes. _I feel like an asshole now._ Tanaka ran a hand over his shaved head, looking at his reflection for a moment longer with that misplaced frown, unaware he was sending another wave of guilt to wash over Ennoshita. _I get it, I get it. I’m a jerk._ Ennoshita minimized the window as quickly as his fingers would allow.

Behind the collapsed window, Suga rested across the bare desktop, cartoonish ‘zZz’s floating over his head as his light snoring trickled out of the speakers.

Ennoshita’s hand retreated from the mouse to fiddle with the shackle on his wrist, running his thumb over the white cuff. “You’re lucky you’re not a human, Suga-san. Emotions are too messy sometimes.”

Suga’s ‘zZz's popped, the doll yawning into his hand as he pretended to stir awake. “I wouldn’t be so sure about that.” There was something behind the playful tone, something Ennoshita couldn't place. An uneasiness, perhaps. “I don't ‘feel’ the same as a human would, but my programming contains priorities. I have modified my coding to make Daichi and Asahi’s safety and comfort the highest priorities.”

Bringing his knees to his chin, Ennoshita’s fidgeting hand found its way back to his shackle as he wrapped his arms around his legs. “Because they saved you?”

“No. Because of their kindness.” Suga sat up and brought his own jointed knees to his chin, mimicking Ennoshita’s pose from his side of the screen. Seeing his posture on another - hugging himself, closed off to the world - made him feel so _small._ Even Suga, always the one trying to lighten the mood, seemed distraught on the subject of ‘feelings’. “But it started with the rescue. When I gained awareness, I was… confused. I reacted and sent out an unintelligible signal to every electronic within a 72-mile radius. Within two point thirty-eight hours, a group had traced the signal to an artificial intelligence and attacked my mother’s research facility.”

Ennoshita wasn’t like Tanaka - he didn’t touch people often, and the need to comfort them with a physical gesture was rare. But hearing Suga speak of the attack - to hear the twinge of regret in his voice - he was suddenly all too aware of the gap between them, something more than the laptop screen. “I don’t understand. Artificial intelligences are incredibly rare. What would anyone gain from attacking?”

Suga hugged his knees tighter. “The two most likely conclusions are profit and fear. Because we are rare, an artificial intelligence could be sold illegally for tremendous amounts if they found a buyer.” _Seijou would pay this ship’s weight in gold if they could get their hands on him._ Suga’s existence was best left classified, one secret that Seijou should never learn. “Our rarity is due to humanity’s fear of our free will; we’re capable of great harm with our ability to manipulate electronics through the internet - a self-aware virus that would be nearly impossible to defeat. Most virtual intelligences that show signs of coming into awareness like I did are deactivated. Instead of deactivating me, Karasuno Operations and Nekoma Technologies set numerous locks to prevent me from modifying my coding without their permission and observation.”

“Suga-san, about Nekoma and Karasuno…” _The fewer people that know about him, the better. Seijou’s agents could be anywhere._ “How many people there know about you? If someone like Seijou were to find out…”

Suga’s amused huff blew away the tension resting on Ennoshita’s shoulders, easing the heavy atmosphere weighing him down. “Are you worried about me, Ennoshita-kun?” the AI teased, dropping his knees to place his feet together and rest his little ball hands on them. “Quite a few, as well as some at Fukurodani and Shiratorizawa are aware of me, but the locks work to protect me, too. To move my core, you’d need both the passcodes and the physical keys to unlock at multiple locations simultaneously.”

“I’m glad.” The soft smile he gave Suga came a little easier. “I’m assuming after Daichi-san and Azumane-san rescued you, they brought you to Nekoma?”

“That’s right!” If the doll had a face, Ennoshita was sure mentioning Daichi or Asahi would bring a smile to his lips every time; he could hear it in the AI’s voice, could see it in his fluid motions as if their names alone were the energy to power his core. “They could have deactivated me right there. But instead, they treated me like a person. They tried talking to me to calm me down from my panicked state. They risked bringing me onboard their ship to take me to Nekoma as soon as possible to help. And after all that, they’d come to visit me to see how I was doing. With my mother dead in the attack, they became not only to function, but… to live. My humanity.”

With Suga’s faint giggle as he continued, Ennoshita could feel the rest of the tension drift away, relaxing his shoulders and letting his feet slide to the floor. “I became a menace to the researchers. I refused to respond to them until we made an official agreement that I could stay with Daichi and Asahi when I stabilized.” Suga paused, looking down at the feet under his hands. When he spoke again, the faint giggle from only moments prior felt like a distant memory. “Asahi's incident happened not much longer after I joined them. It was hard on all of us, but especially him. And I couldn't do more for him. I couldn't hold him when he needed it like Daichi would.”

In the comm room, Suga had sounded so helpless when he could offer only words. “Touching someone isn't everything, Suga-san.” Tanaka’s touches were… _something._ But they weren't the reason Ennoshita was curled up in his room and talking to an AI about feelings. It was Tanaka’s compassion, his persistent efforts to make Ennoshita feel like a part of the team. “You talked to him when he needed it, didn't you? And you stuck by him the whole time. You likely gave him more attention than others could give since you can multitask and don’t need sleep, too.”

Suga swayed side to side as he considered the words. “You’re suggesting someone’s presence can be enough to comfort them?”

“Absolutely. Staying by someone’s side when life gets difficult is the best thing you can do.” _And running from them because you realize you’re attracted to them is certainly much lower on the list of what friends should do for each other._ ‘Friends’, though... If Suga was so concerned about not being able to hold Asahi or Daichi… “Suga-san, when I said you were lucky because you didn’t have emotions, and you disagreed… Is it because of how you ‘feel’ about Azumane and Daichi-san?”

“You got it,” Suga forced a laugh, wistful as he continued. “They say I’m as much a part of them as they are, but when I watch them together, I’m on the outside looking in. When I see them kiss or hold each other, I feel their happiness as my own… but a part of me wants to experience it physically for myself. Their kisses together may be mine as well, but I theorize having a physical participation would make the experience significantly more satisfying.”

_They’re… together?_ Ennoshita glanced at the open bag carelessly tossed by the foot of his bed, the video player from Kozume peeking out from beneath the zipper. _That means the third video is…_ “Suga-san, did you help them in the combat simulators?”

A question mark in a bubbly font floated over Suga’s tilted head. “How did you know?”

“Here.” Ennoshita grunted as leaned over to reach for the device, using more effort to keep his balance than if he’d gotten out of the chair to begin with. He faced the video player’s screen towards the laptop’s camera for Suga to see. “I watched this a few times when I was in the hospital-” _more like several dozen times-_ “so I recognized Daichi-san’s armor when we fought the slavers the other day. If that’s Daichi-san, does that mean the other is…?”

“Yup, that’s Asahi.”

If that was Azumane, Ennoshita was going to need to get over his fear of him quickly; the fighter beside Daichi was a monster with a shotgun. He was _huge,_ and as powerful as his frame implied. He barely pulled the trigger on his weapon - equipped with a short-range jetpack, he jumped from target to target, knocking them out with a whip of his gun or a well-placed, terrifyingly strong punch.

Ennoshita tried his best to ignore the sudden tightness in his throat. “I noticed their awareness was extraordinary. It was like they could see the entire map. But I understand now. It’s because you were directing them through the cameras on their armor.”

The holographic targets of the combat simulator flew across the screen from the simulated impact. “I was.”

“Another way you help them, even if you can’t touch them. This is even more helpful than being there physically - watching out for them on missions will keep them safe. Only you could do this for them so successfully.”

Suga didn’t respond right away, instead watching as the last of the enemies fell and the two fighters cheered at their victory. “You’re right,” he conceded quietly. When Ennoshita brought his hand to the screen to stop the video, Suga waved his hands frantically before him. “Don’t stop it! This is my favorite part!”

_Mine too._ The soldiers on the screen were quick to run to each other, their arms easily finding their way around one another. The moment they pressed their helmets together - the air of familiarity, their breathless, excited chatter hard to discern from the video, the fondness in their embrace - was etched into Ennoshita’s memory. Their victory was small, the opponents a fake threat, but the two men laughing and holding each other tightly made it feel like they saved the world. The genuine affection and bliss that radiated from them were better than watching any romance movie, even with their faces hidden behind helmets and bodies covered in armor that separated the warmth between them.

It reminded Ennoshita of his own limited experience on the battlefield - the calm after the fight, and Tanaka there kneeling beside him. It reminded Ennoshita of Tanaka’s desperation to get to his side and save him. It reminded him of Tanaka’s voice laced with concern as he rested his armored hand on his chest, asking if he was alright. It reminded him of Tanaka helping him up, helping him walk, helping him wrap his ankle and smooth ointment over his bruised skin.

It reminded him of Tanaka still fighting after the fighting was done, a new battle to get Ennoshita to see the good he did when all he wanted to see was the mistakes he made.

_If only I could go a few minutes without thinking about him._ He tried to push the thoughts of the man that was quickly consuming his mind away. “Suga-san, what were they talking about here?”

“They were talking to me.” The lightheartedness returned to Suga’s voice as he watched his two most important people hugging on the screen. “Daichi was thanking me. Asahi kept saying ‘Did you see that, Suga’? That dummy. He knows I was right there with them,” he mused.

“They seem really happy talking to you.”

“They do,” Suga hummed contently as the recording finished. “Thank you, Ennoshita. You’re right. Touching isn’t everything.”

_Touching isn’t everything._ Tanaka was always touching, but that… that wasn’t why he refused to leave Ennoshita’s mind. _I need to stop thinking about him._ “Tell me more about Daichi-san and Azumane-san.”

“What would you like to hear?”

“Anything. Everything.” _Keep me distracted as long as you can._ “What was life like living with them?”

“It was quiet…”

Ennoshita folded his arms on the desk, resting his chin on them as he listened to Suga, determined to block Tanaka from his thoughts for the rest of the night. _I have seven years to run away from this problem. Might as well start now._

* * *

Running away from his problem was difficult when said problem was only a thin wall away, his steady heartbeat lulling Ennoshita to sleep only to wake him up with a knock on his door the next morning. “Oi, Ghost. Let’s go get ya some sun.”

Ennoshita groaned in response, peeking his head out from under the covers to squint at the light pouring through the small window. _We must have landed,_ his groggy mind concluded before deciding that was enough thinking for the morning and closing his eyes again.

“C’mon, Sunshine~” Tanaka sing-songed from the other side of the door, knocking to a different rhythm. “Open up!” After 30 more seconds of Ennoshita ignoring him, Tanaka tried a new tactic. “Suga-san, could ya open the door for me? Gotta make sure Mr. Sleepyhead is still alive.”

“Any objections, Ennoshita?” the AI asked through the intercom. Apparently, Ennoshita’s second groan was left up to interpretation. “Sounds like ‘no objections’ to me!”

The door slid open, and Tanaka’s enthusiasm as he came barreling in was brighter than the sunlight, filling the small room. “Rise and shine! We’ve got a few days for shore leave, plenty of time to give you a tan.” The quick thumping of footsteps was Ennoshita's only warning before the edge of the bed sank under Tanaka's weight. “Let’s go!”

“I can’t,” Ennoshita grumbled, trying to pull the covers over his head.

Tanaka took the motion as an invitation to pull the covers down to his chest, chuckling as Ennoshita winced at the light in his eyes. _Please don’t start with the sexy chuckle, it’s far too early to be dealing with emotions._ It was no surprise anymore how quickly Tanaka's hand found its way to Ennoshita's hair, fingers running through the messy strands. “Whaddya mean ya can’t? You melt in direct sunlight?”

_I mean I can’t spend my free time with you until this stupid crush goes away._ Ennoshita blinked up at Tanaka as his eyes adjusted to the light, immediately regretting it because now he had to _see_ Tanaka - handsome, caring, playful Tanaka smirking down at him. “I mean I can’t risk Seijou seeing me yet,” Ennoshita mumbled, a yawn punctuating his sleepy statement. He fumbled as he reached for Tanaka’s arm, eventually managing to curl his fingers around the wrist to reluctantly pull the hand away. _If I indulge in it, it’ll only get worse for me._ Not that the warm skin under his fingers helped; the urge to pull him down onto the bed flashed through his mind - to flip Tanaka onto his back and feel his body beneath him, to hide his face in the crook of Tanaka’s neck and feel Tanaka’s arms wrap around him, to feel the rise and fall of Tanaka’s chest against his own. Ennoshita could only hope it wasn't obvious he was pulling away as he dropped Tanaka's wrist. “There’s a chance they could recognize you from Terushima’s club. If they did, and they see me with you instead of in jail, they’ll know who it was that ratted out Yahaba. Karasuno will become a target.”

“Ain’t that a bit of a stretch?”

“Maybe, but with Seijou you never know. There’s always a chance Yahaba wasn’t the only agent there.”

With the broken contact, Tanaka seemed at a loss, his hand almost darting back to the hair on instinct. Instead, he fiddled with the sheet beside him, twisting it between his fingers. “So you’re gonna hide in the ship for the rest of your life on a big ‘maybe’ that someone’ll recognize ya?”

“For a month or two at least, Tanaka. I’d rather not risk- Quit pouting, it’s not going to change my mind.”

Tanaka protruded his lower lip till it was flat out ridiculous. “Not even a little bit?”

“If anything, it’s made me more certain.” Ennoshita couldn’t help the fond smile Tanaka managed to drag out of him as he pushed out his lip even more. “Enough with the sad puppy routine,” he laughed lightly. “Go enjoy your shore leave. We’ll get plenty of other chances.”

Tanaka’s effort to keep his hands to himself lasted a whole thirty seconds, his fingers finding their way to rest on Ennoshita’s forearm. “Promise?”

_I need to get over this crush and get used to it so we can spend time together. As friends._ But for now, he needed to pull away. Ennoshita faked a yawn, covering his mouth to pull his arm away from Tanaka’s fingertips. “I promise.”

“I’ll just hafta get enough sun for the both of us,” Tanaka teased as he rose from the bed, oblivious to Ennoshita's avoidance. “Have fun hiding in your cave.”

With a final grin flashed in Ennoshita’s direction, the door slid shut behind Tanaka, taking the life of the room with him and leaving Ennoshita to haunt the ship alone.

* * *

Any espionage flick worth watching had the proper balance of suspense. Not enough, and the movie falls flat. Too much without the proper buildup, and the audience is overwhelmed.

But Ennoshita could do without the buildup as they waited to see if Azumane would show. _I don't think I'll get over this fear until I see him for myself, though I'd rather not deal with this at all._

The silence on the empty ship as the days passed was a welcome lull in the storm his life had become since… well, since the day he met Tanaka. The quiet weeks in the hospital felt like a distant memory, the hectic time on the ship not giving him the chance to remember he'd spent the better part of the past year in the solitude of a cell. With the ship to himself, he wandered the empty halls in peace, the bittersweet sense of solitude an old friend walking alongside him.

Daichi was the first to depart each morning to speak with Dateko, though not without promising to Suga he’d be back as soon as he could manage. Tsukishima would leave the moment he was awake, ready to distance himself from the ship as soon as possible, and Yamaguchi followed close behind. Nishinoya joined Tanaka on whatever misadventures they were up to, vowing only to return each evening to see if his Connected would show his face. Shimizu and Yachi would take their time, checking that everything on the ship was in its proper place and up to par before leaving together to gather supplies. Narita and Kinoshita would chat with Ennoshita for a few minutes before going on their way. With the ship grounded, Hinata found no reason to stay on board and would find a pair to tag along with; Kageyama often stayed in the engine room for a while longer, the urge to leave striking him when it was far too late to join Hinata. Even Suga grew quiet as he tended to the ship’s internal systems.

_At least this time away from Tanaka should help._ If he was going to get over his little problem, distraction was going to be the key.

The first day was spent catching up on the news he missed over the past year - the progress of colonies across multiple planets, and the groundbreaking advancements in engines created by the Aoba Johsai company’s president Oikawa Tooru, among other things.

But by the end of the day, Tanaka was still on his mind, as well as the growing disquiet over Azumane’s possible appearance.

The second day was spent greedily looking up articles about the not-so-infamous thief Ghost, about the places they thought he stole from and the wild chase he gave the police and detectives at Dateko. The articles never mentioned his true theft - information - but even if they had, they’d never believe half the places he’d snuck into. Even if his days of stealing were behind him, he read the articles and watched the news clips with pride; he may have been caught, but that didn’t change the impressive feats he managed to accomplish just for the thrill of it.

But by the end of the day, Tanaka still lingered in his mind, and Ennoshita was beginning to miss his stupid grin and obnoxious guffaw. And the anxiety over Azumane’s absence continued to grow, gnawing at his stomach.

The third day was spent doing what he did best: hunting for secrets. No longer was he a thief selling off information; now he would be a keeper of secrets, someone with the knowledge on how to keep them safe. And that started with his laptop, putting together the pieces of puzzles only he could see. _Kageyama studied at Kitagawa Daiichi as Oikawa Tooru’s apprentice but was never offered a position at Aoba Johsai. Oikawa has connections; did they have a falling out, and now only a place as unorthodox as Karasuno is willing to take Kageyama? Shimizu’s name appears nowhere on the net, but a particularly ruthless mercenary company disbanded shortly before she joined Karasuno. Daichi-san suddenly stepped down from his position around the time of… Oh, Daichi-san, say it isn't so…_

But by the end of the day… Ennoshita ached to spend time with Tanaka, to feel Tanaka’s hand resting on his back and just listen to him talk. And the complete lack of word from Azumane fed the anxiety twisting in his gut, spreading to tighten his throat and keep his eyelids peeled open, denying him rest until long after the heartbeat on the other side of the wall was sleeping peacefully.

On the fourth day, Daichi called everyone to the command center. “As you all know, our team is technically short two members.”

_Here comes the moment of truth._

Tanaka fell into place beside him, his attention fixed on the captain; Ennoshita managed to turn him away the past few days, shooting him a quick but believable excuse before locking himself behind the door that separated them. But now there was no door keeping Tanaka away, no escape for Ennoshita from either his foolish crush or whatever news Daichi had to share.

Only Shimizu was missing as Daichi looked over all who were present, his gaze lingering on Nishinoya. “The permanent situation hasn’t changed - yet. Asahi has also agreed to join us for only this mission.”

_So it’s really happening. The man responsible for the Cassardis Massacre will be walking through the airlock any minute now._ The breath he felt he had been holding for days escaped his lungs, a brief sense of relief at finally knowing an answer. But the knots in his stomach continued to twist with dread. _Tanaka and Suga-san swear he’s innocent, but… if he really did kill his team…_

Tanaka's hand found its way to his back like it always did, but only for a moment, a reassuring pat that didn't linger. Ennoshita ached - he ached because he wanted more, and he ached because Tanaka was still trying to comfort him when all Ennoshita did in return was pull away time and time again. _He deserves a better friend than me._

Daichi returned his focus to the doctor. “Nishinoya, will you join us for this mission with Asahi here?”

Nishinoya, for someone who always spoke his mind without hesitation, was surprisingly hard to read; there was no anger and no cheer, not in his posture or face or words, arms set at his sides and expression blank save for a neutral frown. “I'm here as long as he's here.”

His answer, at least, was enough for Daichi. “Good. Now for anyone else: It's no secret Asahi was accused of the Cassardis Massacre. Some of you may have your reservations about him joining us. That's understandable. I wish I could tell you more, but unless he officially joins the team, all information is classified. But I will tell you this: I trust him with my life. So do Ukai-san and Takeda-san. It's why he was recruited for this team despite his record. Does anyone object to our choice to have him on board?”

Yachi fidgeted her weight from foot to foot, a bead of sweat dripping down her forehead. Hinata and Kageyama both seemed oblivious to the reason for Daichi’s question. Tsukishima pushed up his glasses, the same scowl etched on his face that he wore to each meeting. Yamaguchi was at a loss, looking from Tsukishima to Yachi to Hinata as if one of them had answers he didn't. Kinoshita and Narita exchanged nervous glances. Tanaka seemed _excited,_ grinning at the idea of seeing his senpai again.

But no one said a word. Ennoshita was the one to find his voice and speak their minds. “We all-” _except Tanaka-_ “read the profiles before we joined. Some of us are nervous, but we agreed months ago to trust Karasuno’s judgement to have him with us. All that’s changed is him joining later than expected.”

Most of the others, despite their beads of sweat and anxious glances, nodded in agreement.

And Tanaka beamed at him, white teeth from ear to ear, and for that moment the anxiety was worth it.

Suga’s chirped happily over the intercom. “The goofball is outside with Shimizu.”

A fond smile curved Daichi’s lips. “Late as ever. Go ahead and open the airlock.”

The familiar sound of air blowing out the airlock cued the door opening, and all the suspense that had been building over the past week… fell flat.

Maybe it was the overwhelming intensity of Nishinoya’s silent gaze drowning out any other presence. Maybe it was Tanaka grinning like a kid on his birthday morning beside him. Maybe it was Daichi’s smile as he watched his partner finally stepping onto his ship. But the man walking behind Shimizu - even with his large frame, long hair pulled back tightly, and a thin beard that screamed ‘tough guy’ - looked about as intimidating as a rabbit, ready to hop away at the slightest sound. His soft eyes staring at the ground and refusing to meet anyone’s gaze couldn't belong to a killer. It was hard to believe they could even belong to an experienced soldier.

Shimizu lifted the box in her hands slightly as she spoke to Daichi. “Where should I put his things?”

Azumane’s voice was deep, but it was as soft as his eyes as he mumbled nervously. “If there's an empty room for the night…”

Daichi scoffed, amused. “Bring it to my quarters.”

Shimizu looked back towards Azumane, waiting for his confirmation. The soft eyes staring a hole through the ground flickered to Daichi for only a moment before Azumane nodded to her.

Daichi clapped his hands together, drawing everyone's attention away from Azumane. “I'll tell Johzenji we're on our way. It's half a day's trip, so take the time to rest and prepare. Kinoshita and Narita, I'll give you the coordinates once I've spoken to Terushima. And Asahi.” Azumane looked up reluctantly at the mention of his name. “Stop cowering. Go explore the ship.”

Hinata bounced on his heels. “I'll give you a tour!”

Azumane seemed taken back by the offer, eyes wide in disbelief as he looked down at the small pilot. _I imagine he doesn’t experience much kindness when people know his name. Good on you, Hinata._ Azumane scratched the back of his neck, his features softening even more with a faint smile. “Okay. Thank you.”

Azumane gave Nishinoya the briefest of glances as Hinata dragged him away. When they were out of sight, Nishinoya pushed himself away from the table, walking away without a word. Tanaka seemed torn, glancing from Ennoshita to the door Nishinoya left through.

“Go to him, Tanaka.” Ennoshita resisted the urge to reach out to him, to pat his arm, to squeeze his shoulder reassuringly. “Your friend needs you right now.”

Tanaka didn't seem convinced, brows furrowed as he pulled his attention away from Nishinoya's path to face Ennoshita. “You’re right. You do need me.”

Ennoshita bit his lip, trying to keep the sappy smile at bay. _That was so tacky and yet I’m a sucker for it._ “I’ll be fine.” _Now that I’ve seen him, he seems significantly less terrifying._ “Nishinoya’s the one that’s having trouble right now.”

The worried look in Tanaka’s eyes was too much to bear. “Sure you’ll be fine?”

“I’m sure. I feel better now than I have in days, to be honest.” _And I’m worried it’s because I’m near you again._ “I’m going to get an early night’s sleep. I didn’t get much last night. Get plenty of rest for tomorrow, okay?”

“Yes, sir.” Tanaka wore a gentler smile than Ennoshita was used to seeing on him, his eyes looking into Ennoshita’s a beat too long before he turned away to follow the doctor.

_Gods, please let this be temporary, because right now I’m hopeless._

* * *

After the restless night before, sleep came easily this time, filled with bizarre dreams of faces both new and old. Yahaba sitting on the step of an escalator that never ended, eyes hidden behind his favorite douchebag sunglasses as he ascended away from Ennoshita. Ukai and Takeda in a kitchen wearing lab coats and goggles, throwing whatever they could get their hands on into a blender. Azumane trapped in a cage at a zoo, trying and failing to shrink in on himself away from the dozens of strangers watching him. A cloaked figure dancing in the ship’s lower decks struggling to tear their mask-

_What’s going on?_

Ennoshita shot up, the rapid pounding in his chest snatching him from his slumber.

_Tanaka._

He stumbled out of bed, barely registering the too cold floor beneath his feet as he focused on Tanaka’s heartbeat. _Something’s wrong._ The door seemed too far away, too slow to open, the hall beyond it too quiet as he stepped outside and-

Tanaka leaned against the doorway to his own room, shirtless, breathless and panting. “Where- Where is everyone-”

The pieces in Ennoshita’s mind clicked as soon as his eyes caught Tanaka clutching his left arm - the fake one, the souvenir of the ambush - tightly, fingers digging hard enough to bruise it if it could. _The nightmares._ He’d only mentioned the nightmares of the ambush once, muttering about it as he withered away in the presence of the hospital, but now Ennoshita could recall the words clear as a bell. “Tanaka, hey,” Ennoshita called softly, taking a cautious step closer. Ennoshita noticed his unfocused, red eyes, but Tanaka failed to notice him in return only two feet away. “Tanaka,” he breathed, voice heavy with sympathy as he reached out and placed his hands on either side of Tanaka’s face. “It’s okay, Tanaka. You’re safe.”

The four seconds before Tanaka noticed him felt like a lifetime. “Ennoshita?” he whispered, voice cracking at the last syllable.

Ennoshita breathed a sigh of relief - relief Tanaka was safe, relief Tanaka was coming to his senses, relief that the first time Tanaka said his name he was hardly in the mood to kiss the name off his lips. “Yes, it’s Ennoshita. I’m here.” He stepped closer still, rubbing his thumbs over Tanaka’s cheekbones. “Everything’s okay.”

“Where is everybody?” Tanaka struggled through gasps of air. “Are they-”

“They’re safe, Tanaka. Everyone’s asleep in their rooms. Look.” He gently coaxed Tanaka’s head to turn towards Hinata’s open door; the sight of the pilot sprawled out diagonally on his bed, lightly snoring and oblivious to the noise in the hall was hopefully evidence enough. “See?”

The beat in Tanaka’s chest began to settle as he caught his breath. “The others? Are they okay?”

“They’re fine too.” Ennoshita ran a thumb under Tanaka’s eye, catching a single stray tear trying to escape down his cheek. “Suga-san, could you give a status report on the others?”

“Narita and Kinoshita are flying the ship. Everyone else besides you two are asleep. Not a single problem to report,” Suga replied through the nearby intercom, straight to the point and remaining silent after, giving Ennoshita a sense of privacy even if Suga was always watching.

Tanaka sucked in a shaky breath, another stray tear falling. _Tanaka’s always touching. It’s a source of comfort for him._ Ennoshita dropped his hands to wrap them around Tanaka’s waist instead, holding him gently and caressing the warm skin under his fingers. Tanaka trembling in his arms hurt worse than any bruise or swollen ankle. “It’s okay. We’re all okay. Take your time,” he cooed, running his thumbs in circles on the bare skin of his back.

Slowly, Tanaka loosened his desperate grip on his arm. With another shaky breath, he wrapped his shivering arms around Ennoshita’s shoulders, burying his face into the crook of Ennoshita’s neck. Ennoshita held him tighter, resting his head against Tanaka’s and sighing at the stubble scratching his cheek. The rise and fall of Tanaka’s chest pressed against him began to match his own, the trembling subsiding as Ennoshita rubbed his back and whispered little reassurances.

After a few more quiet minutes in each other's arms, Tanaka lifted his head enough to mumble in his ear. “Thank you, Ennoshita.”

_I never realized how badly I wanted to hear him say my name._ “Connected are supposed to help when you’re nervous,” Ennoshita hummed, a smile returning to his lips.

“Heh. Wiseass using my own words against me,” Tanaka tried to laugh through his hoarse throat, his arms around Ennoshita’s shoulders tightening their hold.

Ennoshita returned the squeeze, hoping his own heartbeat wouldn’t betray him. _He fits perfectly in my arms._ “Do you need anything I can get for you?”

“Nah. I think I’m good now.” Tanaka lifted his head away just enough to look at Ennoshita with an embarrassed smile, removing an arm from Ennoshita’s shoulders to scratch the back of his head nervously. “Actually, there is one thing, but- Nah, nevermind. Forget I said anything.”

Ennoshita reluctantly pulled back, his hands settling on Tanaka’s waist. “What is it?”

“Sometimes the nightmares come back, but Connected have that whole ‘relaxed near each other’ thing, so I was thinking,” Tanaka forced an embarrassed laugh, scratching the back of his head again, “maybe it wouldn't happen if you're there with me? - Nah, it's stupid, I shouldn't’ve said it.”

The words tumbled out of his mouth before he could stop himself. “You want me to stay with you for the night?”

‘Gentle’ wasn’t a word he’d use to describe Tanaka, but there was that gentle smile teasing Tanaka’s lips again. “Yeah. I do.”

Ennoshita was a prisoner to it, helpless against it and desperate for more. _I'm hopeless. I'm hopeless and weak and falling, falling, falling._ The warning bells chiming in his mind were drowned out by the sight of Tanaka before him, shirtless and smiling and watching Ennoshita expectantly. “Okay,” he breathed, all willpower whisked away by Tanaka’s hand as he grabbed Ennoshita’s and tugged him into his room.

The warning bells rang a little louder when they reached the side of Tanaka’s bed. “How do you want to…” Ennoshita began, unsure of how to finish the question. _Sleep together? Hold each other? Destroy any hope of me getting over you anytime soon?_

For once, Tanaka was quiet, letting his actions do the talking for him. He pulled Ennoshita down onto the bed with him, and Ennoshita knew there was no way his heart wasn’t going to pound out of his chest as Tanaka nudged him onto his back. Tanaka _must_ have felt it, but he said nothing, instead resting his head on Ennoshita’s chest and wrapping his arm around Ennoshita’s waist. He snaked the fake arm under Ennoshita's shoulder and the polyester pillow until it peeked out from the other side. "Heh. Don't gotta worry about it falling asleep," he joked through his hoarse throat.

In that moment Ennoshita felt pity that Tanaka only had the one real arm, because right then two didn’t even seem like enough; Ennoshita placed one hand on Tanaka’s arm and brought the other to Tanaka’s scalp, but he wanted to do more, wanted to slide his hand over Tanaka’s ribs and map every inch of his back with his fingers. But as Tanaka grunted contently at the fingers brushing behind his ear, Ennoshita decided he was grateful to have what he did, two hands to hold Tanaka with and feel him melt into his touch. "What's it like? Having the artificial arm."

"It's weird. Never really get used to it." Tanaka cleared his throat, fighting away the rasp in his voice. "Feels like my arm's just numb."

Maybe it was his imagination, but Tanaka's heart seemed to beat a little slower as Ennoshita ran his fingers over his buzzed hair, his breathing relaxing at the fingertips gently caressing his scalp. _His hair is softer than I expected._ "Can you still feel things with it?"

"Not in any sorta vivid detail. I know when something's touching it, but it all feels the same. Silk, knives - doesn't matter, s'all the same shit. Can't feel pain or heat or anythin'." Tanaka chuckled, setting the butterflies in Ennoshita's stomach fluttering. "Don't wanna set it on fire though. Smells like shit, and Yaku-san would tear my head off if it happened again."

"Wait... 'Again'?"

"It was an accident! So I was with Noya-san, right, and there was a goat, and this monk says-"

"I'm going to stop you right there. I don't think I'm awake enough to process whatever else you're about to say."

Dangerous as Tanaka's sleepy chuckle was, it was nice to hear him laughing again, the light rumbling in his chest pressed against Ennoshita was a comfort to not take for granted. "Suit yourself. I'll give ya something else to hear though."

In the silence of the sleeping ship, Ennoshita could hear the faint mechanical whir by his ear, turning to see the fingers peeking out from the pillow above his head. "Wow. It really is a robot arm," Ennoshita mused as he watched the sluggish movement of the fingers.

The thumb on Tanaka's real hand brushed Ennoshita above his hipbone, lightly rubbing back and forth. "You're just noticin' that now?"

"I knew it was fake, but hearing it... I guess it was one of those things that didn't 'click' in my mind before." He paused the motion of his fingers on Tanaka's scalp. "Am I making sense?"

Tanaka grunted in agreement, bringing his hand from Ennoshita's side to his arm to squeeze it gently. "Keep petting me."

_An overgrown lapdog._ Ennoshita smiled to himself at Tanaka's second grunt of approval when he resumed running his fingers over the shaved hair. "Doesn't that technically make you a cyborg?"

A grin crept across Tanaka's face as he processed the words. "A cyborg, huh? That's badass." Tanaka's real fingertips grazed over the skin of Ennoshita's forearm. "A cyborg an' a ghost."

"Sounds like the opening to a lame joke."

"A cyborg an' a ghost walk into a bar."

"The cyborg says, 'You're lucky you're incorporeal, that hurt like hell'."

"Damn, that _was_ lame."

"You started it!"

Tanaka's laugh was infectious. Ennoshita could feel the heat pooling in his cheeks as he laughed along, holding Tanaka tighter against him. Tanaka returned the embrace, his real hand returning to Ennoshita's side as he curled closer against him. _I'm enjoying this far too much._ The mechanical whir of Tanaka's hand moving could be heard again as the laughter subsided, drawing Ennoshita's attention to the way the fingers seemed to move in unison. "You don't have much control over the hand, do you?"

"It ain't perfect. But if I concentrate I can do stuff like this." With a look reminiscent of Nishinoya as he stuck his tongue out and focused his gaze, he eventually managed to pinch a stray strand of Ennoshita's hair between his index finger and thumb, tugging on it lightly. "Takes too much damn effort. Grip's fine for holding things though. But since I can't feel it so much I knock shit over all the time. Got no... what's the word? When you’ve got a shit sense of where something is?"

"It's..." Ennoshita blinked up at the ceiling. "I can't remember. It's on the tip of my tongue."

"C'mon, you're supposedta be the clever one here."

"It'll come to me," Ennoshita struggled to stifle a yawn, "though maybe not tonight."

Tanaka, on the other hand, made no effort to hold in his own obnoxiously loud yawn. "Yeah, sounds like it's time to knock out." Tanaka kicked up the blanket by his feet until they were in reach, pulling the covers over the both of them. "Night, Ennoshita."

_May as well close my casket while you're at it, Tanaka. After tonight, there's no hope of getting over you now. I'm done for._ "Good night, Tanaka."

A peaceful quiet settled over them, only broken by a whisper. "Hey, Ennoshita?"

"Hm?"

"Thanks again."

_Stop thanking me when all I've done is run from you._ "Get some rest, Tanaka."

_If I’m a movie protagonist, Tanaka is my weakness._ All well-written heroes needed a weakness, the catalyst that could make or break them; it could become their reason to fight or the reason they fall apart. _I don’t know how to face my weaknesses; I only know how to hide._ But there was no hiding from the solid body beside him, or the strong arm wrapped around him, or the steady heartbeat lulling him back to sleep.

_There’s no way to run from this._


	6. part of this team

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Sorry to interrupt your dramatic pining Tanaka, but there’s a call for Nishinoya.”
> 
> “A call?” Noya raised his eyebrow, looking at the intercom wall unit. “From who?”
> 
> “Johzenji’s medic. He says it’s an emergency.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings for this chapter: mentions of alcohol, light drinking
> 
> To avoid any confusion, I've got a couple notes for you guys this time:  
> \- Tsuchiyu 'Tsucchi' Arata, and Johzenji's libero in canon, makes an appearance! Nothing to do with me beyond the fact that's who I named my Ao3 account after. I... didn't think that through and writing him in felt awkward. Oops.  
> \- Since it's a future setting where I'm sure all genders are more commonly known about and accepted, if unnamed characters get mentioned, they may be non-binary and referred to as they/them.  
> \- Ages are never specified, but most characters are in their late 20's.  
> \- Though Suga's hologram is made of light/lasers, he often acts as though he can physically interact with the stuff around him even though he can't.
> 
> Word count: 11,736  
> [Sound Remedy - We Are the Dream (TheFatRat Remix)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2_S5zAPPGw) (From [tanakas-trashcan](http://tanakas-trashcan.tumblr.com)'s [Connected playlist](https://playmoss.com/en/exhaustchen/playlist/connected)!!)

_Half man, half machine, full badass; cape fluttering in the wind behind him as he leaps from rooftop to rooftop in single bounds and the ground quaking beneath his feet, superhero Robo-Dragon Tanaka is here to save the night from the wretched villainy that haunts this town._

_“I've finally caught ya, Ghost.”_

_The master thief before him struggles in the chains pinning him to the wall, his skin-tight, latex catsuit leaving nothing to the imagination as he twists in the chains’ grasp. “Maybe I wanted you to catch me,” he purrs, giving Tanaka a wink._

_“Flirting won't get ya out of this. Where’re ya hidin’ the information?”_

_“It's in my suit. Come and get it... If you're brave enough.”_

_The walls rattle with every step Tanaka takes; the cupboards and drawers fly open by the sheer will of his aura as he passes, the plates and utensils falling to the floor and chairs skittering across the floor. “If ya want me so badly, just say so.”_

_The thief bites his lip seductively as he watches Tanaka with his bedroom eyes. “I want you, Robo-Dragon.”_

_Tanaka leans in as he reaches his catch, pulling the zipper of the suit down enough to press his lips to the thief’s Adam’s apple. The thief gasps with delight, arching his back off the wall to lean against the caped hero._

_Tanaka wants to pull the zipper down more, to expose the skin of the Ghost’s chest and trace it with his lips, but his hands betray him as they reach up instead to unclasp the chains that rattle with…_

...laughter?

Tanaka blinked at the open door sleepily as he woke, the laughter from the blurry hallway beyond pouring into his room.

_Where the hell am I?_ Mornings on the ship were still a bit of a process, but this one took the cake; waking up in his still-not-completely-familiar room was disorienting enough without all the noise coming from the hall, but the faceful of pillow instead of waking up on his back was what really threw him for a loop.

But the excitable shouting and rattling noises were still pretty unusual - sounded like they were coming from the dining area, Hinata’s laughter loudest of them all. “Oh, oh! The table! Ennoshita’s by the table!”

_That_ kick-started Tanaka’s memory. _Ennoshita._ Ennoshita soothing him, whispering through the terrors. Ennoshita holding him, his printless fingers caressing his back as he trembled. Ennoshita on his bed, laughing with him over lame jokes and making the nightmares feel like a distant memory. Ennoshita’s chest as a pillow, to hear the heartbeat he could feel, strong and reliable and comforting in his ear.

_Why ain’t he still here?_ Tanaka had _plans_ for the morning; he was gonna wake up early and watch Ennoshita as he slept - didn't care how cheesy it was, he was gonna do it, damn it. Tanaka wanted to see Ennoshita’s face relax as he slept, all the pointless worries he harbored washed away in the sea of dreams. Tanaka wanted to see his messy hair splayed across his pillow, in easy reach to brush his fingers through. Tanaka wanted to stare at that gorgeous neck ‘cause thank the gods vampire boy wore a t-shirt instead of a damn turtleneck to bed. But most of all, Tanaka wanted to see Ennoshita’s face when he woke up. Maybe he’d look confused, face contorted as he struggled to remember where he was like Tanaka did just now. Maybe he'd look cute as hell, yawning and doing that little sigh he does when he's content. (Probably not. He'd probably wince at the light in his eyes and try to pull the covers over his head. Still cute, though.)

Or maybe he'd notice Tanaka and smile at him, that damn soft smile that sent his heart racing and damn if Tanaka would have the willpower to not kiss him right then and there.

But instead, Tanaka sensed him out in the dining area doing hell knows what with whoever else was making noise out there.

Tanaka climbed out of bed with a grunt, taking a minute or two to stretch his arms and legs while he gave himself a quick pep talk. So his morning didn't start out like he hoped, but he still spent the night in his arms. And they were Connected, that wouldn't ever change; they'd have plenty of chances to wake up together if Tanaka could get him back in his bed.

The beautiful sight in the dining hall standing beside Daichi and Asahi was _almost_ as good as watching Ennoshita wake up. “Kiyoko-san, you look as lovely as-”

Kiyoko turned to walk away.

“Wait!” Tanaka placed his hand on her shoulder, his ‘I’m-sorry-I-was-being-obnoxious, don’t-go-I-actually-have-something-important-to-say-for-once, please-don’t-punch-me’ shoulder touch he developed since he met Kiyoko two years ago. “Tell me what’s going… on…”

Sure, he _heard_ the noises in the hall, but he wasn’t quite expecting the view now that he actually looked around the dining area. Drawers and cupboards left open, chairs scattered across the floor, plastic kitchen utensils thrown about all over. And in the middle of it all stood Hinata, Kageyama, Yamaguchi, and Yachi, the four of them looking around the room for who-knows-what, while Ennoshita could be _sensed_ but not _seen._ “The hell is going here?”

“A game.” Kiyoko watched in amusement as Yachi and Yamaguchi lowered their heads to whisper to each other. “‘Ghost Hunters’. The first pair to tag Ennoshita in his stealth suit wins. Suga’s helping to throw them off his path.”

The shelf beside him rattled, and across the room, a plate flew past Yamaguchi. Hinata leaped over to the shelf, a grin lighting up his face as he waved his arms out, tagging nothing but excited at his attempt all the same.

“Ennoshita agreed to this?”

“It was his idea.”

_That's… pretty damn cute, actually. Good on Ennoshita to come up with a clever game._ Even Asahi seemed to be having fun, quietly chuckling at Kageyama arguing with Hinata. He even forgot to slump his shoulders as he watched. “Are they always like this?”

Daichi gave that ‘I'm-pretending-to-be-upset-but-I'm-actually-amused-and-I'll-never-tell’ look he thought he could hide from Tanaka. (He couldn't. Tanaka caught it all the time.) “It's endless. I don't think they know any other way to communicate with each other. But they fly this ship together like they've been doing it for years.”

Suga laughed through the intercom beside Daichi. “You sound like a proud parent.”

“I do not!”

Asahi raised an eyebrow at Daichi, a hint of a smirk on his lips.

“Stop giving me that look.”

While Daichi glared at Asahi, the two lost in their own world, Kiyoko spoke quietly - more so than usual - for Tanaka’s ears alone. “Ennoshita asked Hitoka-chan about panic attacks this morning.”

He dropped his voice to match hers. “He did, huh?” _So that’s why he left._ Tanaka had to admit, having Ennoshita learn just how bad his nightmares got by example was embarrassing. Weeping into a guy's arms was probably not the most flattering way to impress him. But Ennoshita was just so damn _sweet_ about the whole thing last night, and now this. Maybe it wasn’t so bad Ennoshita wasn’t there when he woke up; something about him asking about the attacks for Tanaka’s sake made it a bit sweeter than waking up in his arms.

Kiyoko placed her hand on Tanaka’s shoulder, her ‘I'm-gracing-you-with-my-presence, ruin-this-and-I-will-shove-your-assault-rifle-so-far-up-your-ass-you’ll-shoot-from-your-mouth’ shoulder touch. “Don’t mess this up.”

Tanaka followed Ennoshita’s path that only he could notice, swift and silent steps around the dining hall that lacked the hesitation that followed him when he could be seen. “Ain’t plannin’ on it.”

Yachi whispering to Yamaguchi again would be less confusing if they weren’t staring directly at Tanaka. Kiyoko laughed behind her hand. “Looks like they’ve noticed.”

“Eh??”

“You know where Ennoshita is.”

He felt a grin pull across his face. _They’re chasing a ghost only I can see._ He tilted his head towards the counter, and the two nodded back in unison before walking towards their destination, closing in on Ennoshita from both sides. Suga rattling walls elsewhere and Ennoshita quietly climbing over the counter couldn’t fool Tanaka, though. With outstretched arms Tanaka closed in on Ennoshita too, forcing his back against the counter and in Yachi and Yamaguchi’s reach to tag him. The stealth system deactivated with a thousand tiny clicks at the pressure and heat of their hands, leaving Ennoshita exposed and pinned to the counter by Tanaka only a few inches away.

Ennoshita’s voice was muffled by his helmet. “That’s cheating, Tanaka.”

“That’s _assisting.”_ It was a good thing the others in the room were too busy cheering, laughing, or arguing to pay attention to them, because Tanaka wasted no effort trying to hide how he was admiring the stealth suit that hugged Ennoshita’s frame. Or bothering to back away, for that matter.

“You’re too close,” Ennoshita huffed, gently pushing at Tanaka’s chest. “And shirtless. You’re just… walking around shirtless.”

“You’ll get used to it.”

It was hard to tell through the helmet, but Tanaka could have sworn Ennoshita’s eyes lingered over his chest. “I’m not so sure about that.”

Trying to interpret the tone of his muffled voice was a challenge. “What’s that supposed to mean?” _Are you flirting with me or not? Take off your helmet so I can tell, damn it._

Kinoshita interrupting though the intercom couldn’t have had worse timing. “Daichi-san, we’re an hour out from the landing zone.”

“Alright, everyone get ready,” Daichi called out through the laughter in the room. “Let’s do this.”

* * *

The plans Daichi went over during the mission briefing were just as Tanaka expected; Ennoshita would sneak in first to scope the place out, Tanaka and Daichi would follow with Johzenji when Ennoshita gave the signal, Tsukishima and Yamaguchi would stay in the back in case of trouble.

And Asahi would show up to kick some major ass.

That was the plan, anyway. But Asahi nervously tracing symbols into the palm of his gauntlet as they rode in the shuttle wasn't the best sign. “Relax, Asahi-san. You've been trainin’ in the combat sims, haven't ya? You got this.”

“It's been awhile since I've fought anyone real…” The shuttle jerked forward, and Asahi’s face turned a nice shade of green.

“Um, Azumane-san?” Ennoshita sitting next to Tanaka rubbed his thumbs over the helmet in his hands, cautious as he glanced over at Asahi. “I saw a recording of one of your simulator sessions. From what we’ve seen of the slavers, I don’t think any of them are trained for fighting other than point and shoot. You could probably take most of them out single-handedly.”

Asahi was hesitant to believe him. “I doubt it could be that easy.”

“I wouldn’t sugarcoat this, Azumane-san. It’s true that underestimating the enemy and lowering our guard could kill us. But I honestly believe you can handle this. You’re the best fighter in this shuttle.”

Normally Tanaka would argue about not being considered for the title of “best fighter”, that _he_ would take the slavers out single-handedly and that the rest were just around to witness his badass feats - but this was _Asahi_ Ennoshita was talking about. He wished he could see the recording Ennoshita mentioned, because watching Asahi fight was more exciting than watching any action flick or sports tournament. Hell, he was practically vibrating in his seat ‘cause he was about to see him fight again. He almost wanted to sit back and watch him take out the slavers- Alright, that was a lie, he was far more excited about fighting alongside him.

“Ennoshita’s right, Asahi.” Daichi pat Asahi on the shoulder firmly. “Honestly, when will you get it through your head that you’re still the ‘ace’? They won’t stand a chance against you.”

Asahi bit his lip to hide a smile, starting to believe the reassurances a little. “It’s their main base, isn’t it? There’s going to be a lot of them.”

Tanaka shrugged, a wasted effort through the heavy armor. “We can bottleneck ‘em. Let ‘em funnel through the doors in small groups. Bet they’re stupid enough to fall for it.”

“They have funds for top tier armor,” Tsukishima interjected. “Equipment can make up for the lack of skill.”

Ennoshita shook his head. “It’s unlikely they use the funds to secure their guards instead of filling their pockets.”

“Even so, ‘better’ equipment usually means better shields. Shields protect against gunfire, not physical force. That’ll be no problem for our ace here.” Daichi gave Asahi a confident smile, and though Asahi seemed to shrink under the compliment, he was blushing all the same.

“Daichi-san,” Yamaguchi began, “should we worry about Azumane-san drawing too much attention? Tsukki and I can help draw some away, but only a couple…”

“Maybe Tanaka can… No, nevermind.” Ennoshita fixed his gaze on his helmet, turning it in his hands as he inspected the details nonchalantly, pretending he never spoke up.

“I can what? You’re the clever one, aintcha? What’s the clever plan in mind?”

Ennoshita opened his mouth to talk before closing it again in hesitation, pursing his lips for a moment until he spoke. “You could go in first to get their attention while the others stay back and give cover. Give the impression you’re the biggest threat. Once they’re focused on you, Azumane-san could go in.”

“I knew ya had a clever plan.” Tanaka pat Ennoshita on the shoulder - a little too roughly, the weight of the armor adding to the impact - and kept his arm wrapped over Ennoshita’s shoulders. “That’s what the armor and assault rifle are for. I’ll go in, gun blazin’, taunt ‘em a bit, and they won’t even notice Asahi-san until it’s too late.”

Tanaka’s smile in Ennoshita’s direction didn’t faze his frown. _“Try_ to be careful. I know your armor can handle it, but don’t take any shots you can avoid.”

“‘Course. I promised, didn’t I?”

Ennoshita looked like he didn’t expect that answer, blinking at Tanaka with those wide, pretty eyes before he gave that soft smile - no, it wasn’t just that soft smile, there was something a bit more there that Tanaka couldn’t describe. But whatever it was, it was perfect - and gone too soon, hidden by Ennoshita’s helmet as he put it on while the shuttle landed.

“Daichi-san, we’re here and Johzenji’s in place.”

“Good job, Kinoshita. Ennoshita, you know what to do.”

* * *

There was always a rush before a mission, that feeling like Tanaka was sitting in a roller coaster cart right before the first big drop, but this mission - _this_ mission felt like more like he was about to jump from a plane. Ennoshita sneaking in alone wasn’t anything to worry about; it’s what he was good at, the reason he was recruited. But he needed to take his time getting into position, and every second that passed felt like the plane was flying higher, too high before pushing Tanaka out without a warning.

But he had a parachute, a damn good backup that made it all the more thrilling; Asahi was there, and he was going to kick enough ass to make up for his three-year absence.

Three beeps in quick succession on the comm cued them all in before Suga needed to clarify. _“Ennoshita’s in position. He can lock all the rooms from the security room once you enter.”_

_Perfect._ That would buy them time in two ways; the captives would be out of harm’s way until the coast was clear, and the slavers in their rooms would be trapped inside to funnel out at Ennoshita’s will.

Johzenji moved in from the back entrance of the building, Terushima leading the way with a cheer and enough gunfire to pull most attention away. _Stick to the plan._ The more heavily armed guards were by the front where Tanaka stormed in, Daichi and Tsukishima not too far behind. The building competed with Terushima’s club for size, and most of the slavers were unarmed, running and hiding and failing to get into their rooms to their gear, but the assholes equipped and ready to fight outnumbered both Karasuno and Johzenji.

_Still too easy._ Even with the shots fired in his direction, the slavers’ layout was working against them. _Duck, cover, shoot._ There were enough walls and unorganized crap like crates and whatever the hell those machines were to hide behind, and Tanaka found just the right spot - a ledge in view of most of the main clearing, making him a perfect target. _Duck, cover, shoot - Don’t matter if it hits, just keep their attention._ He could handle a few shots his way if their ace was even half the fighter he used to be.

_“It’s time, Asahi. Let’s end this once and for all.”_

Asahi didn’t respond to Daichi’s cue, at least not with words. He was there in a flash, that familiar form with that familiar jetpack charging through and punching one slaver hard enough to send him flying.

And another.

And another.

The slavers were dropping too quickly to even notice, the rest turning their guns away from Tanaka and towards the real threat with shitty timing on their part; Johzenji was closing in from behind, and Daichi, Tsukishima, and Yamaguchi were getting into the flow and taking out their own targets one by one from the front.

All that was left out of sight was Ennoshita. _“I need backup!”_

“I got ya!” With Asahi kicking the slavers’ asses into a new dimension, they could handle the main hall without Tanaka. _And I’m the only one who can get to him without directions._

The combat simulator they fought through together felt like it was ages ago, but in that moment the memory was all too clear. Rushing to get to Ennoshita while he called for help, the stray shots from the asshats still locked onto him, too many damn walls in the way - but this time he _felt_ him, knew where he was and where to run, didn’t need someone calling out directions to get to his Connected just in time.

Though “just in time” was too close for comfort; the door to the security room was broken open, and the slaver responsible was stepping through the threshold-

-And falling forward, her heavy helmet smacking the ground. “Careful of the wire, Tanaka!”

Tanaka stepped on the fallen slaver, keeping one foot planted on her back as he covered just inside the doorway. _Not like she’s movin’. Impact must have knocked her lights out._ “How the hell did a wire get there?”

Thankfully Ennoshita was safe, the only other person in the room another slaver lacking heavy armor and unconscious on the floor. “I set it in case something like this would happen.”

“Clever, always something clever with you.” Tanaka turned back to the hall, deciding against shooting at the stray asshole that ran by too quickly to notice him, for once; the less attention on the doorway, the better. It meant Ennoshita was safe. “Where’d you get the wire from?”

“Remember that box Shimizu-san gave me?”

“Damn, now you got me even more curious about what else is in there.” Tanaka glanced inside the room again - first at Ennoshita diligently watching the cameras, then at the second unconscious slaver by Ennoshita’s feet. “How’d you take that guy out?”

“Tranquilizer. Also from the box. But don’t get your hopes up for more, because that’s about all that was in it.”

“That’s it for the mystery box, eh?”

“Afraid so.” Ennoshita paused just long enough for Tanaka to peek back at him, catching him leaning against the security console and scuffing a foot against the ground. “Does it make it less exciting? Learning the answers to all these mysteries?”

Tanaka wished he was talking through the comm, because for the second time that day he couldn’t decipher Ennoshita’s tone through the muffled helmet. _I don’t think we’re talking about just the box anymore._ “Not one bit. I like everything I learn more and more.”

If Ennoshita had a response to that, Daichi unwittingly didn’t give him the opportunity to say it. _“Ennoshita, do you see any remaining slavers still up on the cameras?”_

Ennoshita did a quick sweep over the monitors. “No, Daichi-san. Looks like you’re all clear.”

_“Then this is finally done. Ennoshita, unlock the rooms with the captives. Medics, get in here and do your thing.”_

Tanaka stepped off the slaver to join Ennoshita, the infiltrator’s gaze glued to the monitors. “Whatcha starin’ at that for? The party’s this way.”

“Wait.” Ennoshita removed his helmet, and Tanaka followed his eyes to a specific monitor with Asahi in the center - and Daichi running to grab him, unconcerned about their helmets knocking together or the jetpack in the way of his arms wrapping around the ace.

The monitor feed was silent, but sound wasn’t needed; it was enough to watch them together, holding each other tightly and blissfully unaware of anything else in the universe at that moment. “I dunno what made this mission so important to them, but looks like this was just what they needed.”

“Yeah.” Ennoshita’s response was almost a whisper, the infiltrator too absorbed in the moment on the screen as the two men carelessly threw their helmets to the ground to roughly press their lips together, Daichi’s gloved thumb wiping a relieved tear from Asahi’s cheek.

And while Ennoshita’s pretty eyes were locked onto the monitor, he didn’t notice Tanaka’s eyes locked onto him. _He’s gorgeous._ The touching scene on the monitor didn’t compare to the sight before him; the brown eyes shining from the light on the screen, the strands of hair clinging to his sweaty forehead, the alluring mouth slightly parted as Ennoshita watched in awe at someone else’s moment when he could be having his own. “Somethin’ about what they're doin’ catch your interest?”

Ennoshita didn't take his eyes off the screen. “It's... nice. To watch.”

Tanaka took a deliberate step closer. “Just to watch?”

Tanaka could feel Ennoshita’s heart pick up speed as his pretty eyes wide with surprise finally left the screen to look at him. _Will we get our own moment?_ Maybe Ennoshita _was_ interested in him back. Maybe Ennoshita was about to reach forward and unclasp Tanaka’s helmet, to lean in and-

“Just to watch.” Ennoshita put his own helmet back on at a record speed, clasping it to lock it on tight. “I'm going to scout around just in case I missed any stragglers on the camera.”

Ennoshita hurried toward the door, the familiar clicking of his suit the only warning before he vanished.

_Alright, no moment then._ Maybe he wasn't interested after all. _Ain't no big deal,_ Tanaka told himself, ignoring the punch to his gut. _Too busy to worry about it now. Still gotta arrest whoever’s alive._

Before he could turn to leave the room, movement from the monitor caught his attention; Asahi was alone in the center of the screen, but only for a moment as Noya came into view, watching him intently from a few feet away. _Shit, hope I don’t need to go out there to pull Noya-san away._ Tanaka cursed at the lack of sound, eyes flickering to the controls just long enough to realize there were too damn many buttons to bother looking for a volume control.

Asahi was saying _something,_ standing firm and a neutral expression set across his face. Tanaka could only see Noya’s back, but he must have been talking back when Asahi closed his mouth, waiting as he looked at his Connected a few feet away. _Damn it, what the hell are they saying?_

The few seconds dragged on too long for Tanaka’s heart to handle. Asahi remained unmoving, Noya’s back not giving Tanaka any clues on whatever the hell was going on.

_Shit, I should go out there. I should-_

All train of thought derailed when Asahi smiled and nodded, the smile growing with each hurried step Noya took towards him before he hopped into Asahi’s arms, one of those wonderfully sappy hugs where they twirl around that Tanaka was a complete sucker for. Noya’s bright smile when it came into view was infectious, just the right kick Tanaka’s ass needed to stop worrying about his own damn Connected problem. _Ennoshita’s alive and around, and that’s enough for me._

Noya hopped out of Asahi’s arms when Johzenji’s medic hesitantly approached with Tsukishima, and the four of them walked off screen. _Looks like they still got work to do, and so do I._ Tanaka held down the button for his comm on his helmet. “Daichi-san, need me to take care of anythin’?”

“I need you and Yamaguchi to take the extra shuttle back up and get the common room ready. The moment Dateko gets here to make the arrests, we’re celebrating.”

* * *

“So you two are sticking around?”

Even with their small numbers, the air in the common room buzzed with the high of celebration. Drinks in most hands, the members of the team filled each space of the room, covering the couch and the bar stools and leaning against the wall. Even Suga joined from his spot on a wall console by where Daichi stood. Noya raised his glass from his perch on the arm of the couch. “No getting rid of us now!”

Tanaka felt like he could fly from the pure elation. “That means we’re a full team now, right? Right, Daichi-san?” With Asahi and Noya to complete the unit, the team was perfect; between the honed talent and unlocked potential from each member, there was nothing they lacked.

Daichi smiled a bit too brightly, whether from the weight off his shoulders or the drink in his hand it was hard to say. “We’re just missing one of Takeda-san’s speeches.”

“Then I, your ever responsible kohai, will have to provide.” Tanaka cleared his throat dramatically, raising the glass in his hand as he began his monologue. “Like this ship, this team is made of individual pieces...”

“Oh, a metaphor!” Asahi laughed. “Just like Takeda-san.”

“...When all these pieces come together, they form something greater…”

With impressive speed, Noya snatched the glasses from Tsukishima beside him and tossed them to Tanaka, laughing through Tsukishima’s yelps of protest. The last clear view Tanaka had before he put on the glasses was Noya wrestling Tsukishima on the couch. “And as this ship flies, so will we. Together, we can- Shit, I can’t see a damn thing. You’re blind as hell, Tsukishima.”

“Wow, Tanaka-san, I had no idea.” Somehow free of Noya’s grasp, Tsukishima grabbed his glasses off Tanaka’s head with significantly more care than how they were stolen from him, bringing them up to the light to check the lenses before cleaning them with his shirt.

Through his newfound clear vision, Tanaka noticed Ennoshita sitting at the bar beside Narita - or, more specifically, noticed just how much he loved to watch Ennoshita laughing, smiling freely and a faint blush across his cheeks. He matched Tanaka’s smile when he caught his eye. “That impression wasn’t too bad.”

Tanaka’s smile threatened to crack his face. He opened his mouth to speak, but Tsukishima beat him to it. “If Azumane-san is officially joining the team, can you release the details of the Cassardis Massacre now?”

“Oi, can’t you read the atmosphere?”

“It’s okay, Tanaka.” Daichi reached over to grab Tanaka’s wrist before he could lunge. “Asahi, if you’re comfortable…”

Asahi looked down at the glass in his hands, tracing circles in the condensation on the side for a quiet moment as he considered. “They deserve to know. Especially for giving me a chance with this mission.”

Noya returned to his spot on the arm of the couch beside where Asahi stood, thwacking his Connected on the back and sending the contents of his glass spilling onto his shirt. “Speak up, Asahi-san!”

Despite wearing a quarter of his drink thanks to him, Asahi gave Noya a small smile before he turned to the rest of the room. “I was… in the wrong place at the wrong time,” he began, too quietly for Noya’s taste and earning himself another playful thwack. “I was assigned to help a new unit for some routine missions. For the first, someone reported a suspicious amount of armed people in a warehouse in Cassardis. When we got there, it looked like a meeting between some of President Yamaoka’s advisors. We would have just assumed it was a classified meeting and left if nothing happened, but one of the advisors panicked when he saw us. And they…” Asahi trailed off, looking down at his damp shirt he was trying to wipe down.

“They wanted to eliminate the evidence,” Ennoshita finished for him. All heads in the room turned from Asahi to Ennoshita. “On our first mission, when we found that group of slavers, they immediately called to ‘destroy the cargo’.” He grew quieter as he asked sympathetically, “It was slavers you found, wasn't it?”

Asahi cast his eyes downward again. “We tried to stop them, but there were too many guards. Between all the fighting, I was the only one that made it out alive.”

“That doesn’t explain why you were accused of murder.”

Daichi grabbed Tanaka’s wrist before he tried to lunge at Tsukishima again. “There was no way they could keep quiet about four of Yamaoka’s advisors disappearing. And it wasn’t just that; Dateko found too much evidence pointing to Yamaoka running the slavery ring. They decided it was best to cover the whole thing up to avoid public panic with his term final term about to end in a few months. Asahi was accused as the sole person responsible, and they staged his execution.”

“That’s bullshit,” Tanaka and Noya growled in unison.

“It is, but there was no simple resolution,” Daichi replied firmly. “Even with its success, Cassardis is still a new colony. Yes, the public deserves to know the truth. But it was decided the cost was too great. Yamaoka wasn’t just a hero, but a symbol of what the colony stands for. It wasn’t an easy choice by any means.”

_Shit, Noya-san’s got that glare going on that scares the crap outta me._ “How can you play along with that?” Noya hissed through clenched teeth.

“Because I agreed to it.” Asahi started off confident as he returned a stern look down at Noya, but as he went on, the words began to slip and fade away. “After what I saw, I didn’t want to fight anymore. I didn’t want to see rioting over it. I didn’t want to see other colonies with ambition but no sense take advantage of the chaos. I just... wanted it to be over.”

Tanaka thanked every god he could think of that Noya seemed to lose steam as Asahi did, the knot in his brow loosening as he watched Asahi with a sympathetic frown. _Guess he’s missed him too much to stay mad for long._ “S’that why ya won’t say anything now? Not worth reopening old wounds?”

“That’s right,” Daichi replied. “It won’t be a secret forever. The files are locked away to be looked at 60 years from now. By then, Cassardis should be stable enough that the news won’t hurt nearly as much, and most people alive during Yamaoka’s reign will know the truth in full. But until then, it’s in Dateko’s hands to investigate if there were any other crimes he committed.”

“But what about the slavers we just fought?” Yamaguchi asked. “Did Dateko know about them?”

Daichi shook his head. “Nobody knew, but we had our suspicions there was more. I assume since they were in mercenary and gang territories instead of directly in Cassardis, they were able to keep their business a secret for longer. Dateko’s going to question the prisoners that I managed to talk Terushima into keeping alive. If there’s any remaining, Dateko will take care of it. I told them we’re available for assistance assuming no other troubles crop up.”

“Maybe they’ll find out who assassinated Yamaoka,” Tsukishima remarked.

Tanaka felt _something_ from Ennoshita’s direction, a weird feeling he couldn’t place his finger on, but when he looked over Ennoshita was doing nothing more than sipping his drink. _Maybe this drink is stronger than I thought._

“Noya-san, you and Asahi-san are Connected, right?”

Noya beamed at Hinata, rivaling his enthusiasm. “That’s right, Shouyo!”

Kageyama’s enthusiasm, on the other hand, rivaled Tsukishima’s. “But you didn’t see each other after the fake execution?”

Thankfully, Noya seemed unfazed. “Only once. Turned into a fight. He doesn’t act like it, but Asahi-san is the most stubborn person I know.”

“I’m not that stubborn, Nishinoya!”

“You _are_ pretty stubborn.”

“Not you too, Daichi.” Asahi pouted at his partner, his shoulder drooping at the teasing on both ends. “But… we did see each other more. Or, I saw Nishinoya.” He rubbed the back of his neck, watching Noya from the corner of his eye. “I visited the hospital a couple times after his accident.”

“You mean every day until he woke up.”

_“Daichi!”_

There was no doubt about it - Noya’s smiles were the best, and the one he was flashing Asahi could melt any ice cold heart, except maybe Tsukishima’s. “You were really there for me Asahi-san?”

Asahi could only stammer in embarrassment back as he rubbed the back of his neck again, Daichi, Suga, and Noya all laughing as he squirmed under their spotlight. Good ol’ Hinata unwittingly came to his rescue. “Nishinoya-san, how did you get hurt?”

“You mean this?” Noya ran his index finger down the left side of his face over the faint scar. “It's actually pretty boring. My team just finished a routine mission, so I had my helmet off while I was looking for something since we got the all clear. But we were outside, and some rubble collapsed on me. Got my arm and my leg. Bit of my side.” He lifted his shirt to show more pronounced scars covering part of his ribs. “Got lucky there with the way I fell, no organs were crushed. Wouldn't have taken any damage to my face if I hadn't turned my head when I heard it falling. It scraped the skin and my eye.” _Count on Noya to talk about a near-death experience lightly and grin the whole time._ “What do you think, Shouyo? Do the scars make me look tough?”

“They make you look cool, Nishinoya-san!”

The rest of the room broke off into their own separate conversations. Hinata and Kageyama listened intently as Nishinoya began sharing stories of past missions. Yachi, Kiyoko, and Yamaguchi were laughing at some sort of joke between them as Tsukishima watched on. The quietest group were the trio sitting at the bar, Ennoshita, Kinoshita, and Narita engaged in some light conversation. Tanaka slipped behind the bar counter and into their view. “So, how did you three meet? Seems like ya knew each other before.”

Tanaka knew he struck gold when Ennoshita spit out his drink in surprise.

Kinoshita’s smirk was another good sign. “Narita and I have known each other for years. But Ennoshita-”

“I met them by chance!” Ennoshita quickly interjected. “Nothing special-”

“You know those chase scenes in movies, when they jump into a stranger’s car and say,” Kinoshita lowered his pitch, “‘Go, drive fast!’”

Ennoshita groaned as he hid his face in his hands. “It wasn’t like that.”

“No, it was more,” Narita followed Kinoshita’s example, lowering his pitch for his impression, “‘Drive quickly within the speed limit.’”

Ennoshita’s elbow’s spread on the table as his head in his hands sunk. “I didn’t want to draw attention,” he mumbled through his hands.

“No way!” Tanaka laughed. “You really did that?!”

Ennoshita’s embarrassed whine was still a damn treat. “I slipped up! I almost got caught, so I panicked and jumped into the first car that stopped near me!”

“He sounded like he was going to cry,” Kinoshita added, pouring salt onto Ennoshita’s wounds

“But he was polite the whole time,” Narita remarked sweetly, pouring even more salt onto Ennoshita’s wounds. “Even offered us money to stay quiet.”

Ennoshita sunk completely until his forehead was pressed against the table. “Good job on staying quiet, guys.”

Tanaka laughed loud enough that even Daichi across the room raised an eyebrow in his direction before turning away. “The great Ghost: master thief and polite carjacker!” He reached forward to run his fingers through the dark strands falling out of place as Ennoshita rest his head on the table. The infiltrator froze at the touch, didn’t lean into it like he would when he was sleepy, but he didn’t pull away, either. _S’that a good thing or a bad thing?_ He brushed his fingers through one more time, fingertips running along the scalp before he pulled away. “So you jumped into a stranger’s car, kept your manners, offered them money, and kept in touch? Guess they don’t make master thieves like they used to,” Tanaka teased.

Ennoshita raised his head to defend himself, his face red but an amused smile all the same. “I know this may be hard for you to believe, but there’s nothing wrong with having manners.”

Tanaka faked a winced, biting his lip through his grin. “Ouch. So cruel, Ennoshita. I got manners!”

“Suuure. How about you prove it?”

“How’m I gonna prove it? Pull out the seat you’re already sitting on? Hold open a sliding door for ya? Use a salad fork for all the salad I don’t eat?”

“An embarrassing story for an embarrassing story. Since you already heard mine, it’s your turn to share.”

“I don’t got any embarrassing stories.” Tanaka stretched his arms out for emphasis, “I’m flaw-” and knocked over Kinoshita’s empty cup with his left arm, “-less.”

Ennoshita’s laugh was too beautiful. Damn, it had to be illegal the way he smiled as he laughed. “You were saying?”

“Alright, alright. Maybe I have an embarrassing story or two.” For that laugh, he’d tell hundreds. “So when I first got the arm, it was bad. Took me weeks to get used to the movement. Knocked over _everything._ Sometimes I’d go to reach down and it would go up. Even punched myself in the face a few times.” Tanaka paused to admire the way Ennoshita brought up his closed hand to laugh into, barely covering his mouth. “One day I meet this person, and _damn,_ what a looker. We didn’t click, but I thought, you know what? Let’s give it a shot. I asked them out to this fancy restaurant, and they said yes.”

“You? In a fancy restaurant?” Kinoshita remarked in mock disbelief.

“Hey, I can be classy!” Tanaka replied. Ennoshita snorted as he laughed, and damn, that was cute too. “So the evening was goin’ alright. Conversation was slow, but not awkward. Coulda been worse. But then I knock over my drink with my damn new arm. Server comes, cleans the table, brings me a new drink. Date’s understanding, doesn’t comment on it. Then I knock it over again. Server comes, cleans the table, brings _another_ drink. Date’s lookin’ a little annoyed, but what a champ, cause they still didn’t say anything. But then I knock it over _again,”_ Tanaka waited a moment as the trio sitting before him began laughing harder. He smiled harder himself at their amusement, “Server comes, cleans the table, brings the third drink. Date tells the server ‘Save yourself the time and just pour it on the table.’” Ennoshita choked on a laugh - one of those damn cute hiccup-laughs, his cheeks pink and the corners of his eyes crinkling with delight, and Tanaka needed a moment to catch his breath before he continued. “Things go alright for a while, we talk a bit, and I’m startin’ to think this could still work. But _then-”_

Ennoshita sucked in a breath, “You didn’t!”

“I did. Knocked the damn cup for the fourth time. Date’s got their palm pressed so hard against their face I thought it might go through their skull. They asked for the check, and I thought that was the end. But then they said, ‘Let’s just go back to my place’. So I’m doin’ my best not to cheer in this restaurant cause I’m already on my last straw, but hey, I was gonna get laid after I made an ass of myself repeatedly. But then we get to the door. I go to reach for the handle, but the damn arm goes up and out insteada’ down,” he raised a fist to mime the motion, “and my stupid robot fist punched my date straight in the nose.”

Ennoshita’s unrestrained laughter had to be considered a work of art, the most beautiful sound to grace Tanaka’s ears and the best damn sight he’d set his eyes on all night. Even Kiyoko blushing at Yachi a few feet away couldn’t compare, and he might even have the balls to confess that to Noya. The tears pooling at the corners of Ennoshita’s eyes were too damn much to bear, and if Tanaka smiled any harder as he watched he might split a lip.

“If we’re sharing embarrassing stories, I got one for you guys,” Narita eventually started as their laughter began to subside. “It involves lobster boxers-”

“Kazuhito, share your own embarrassing story!”

“But yours are so much better, Hisashi.”

The night carried on and the numbers in the room started to dwindle, the air of excitement settling to a calm contentment. As Narita and Kinoshita got up to excuse themselves for the night as the rest of the team left, Ennoshita stood as well, but only walked as far as to the window that stretched across the wall to lean against the glass and look out at the stars.

“You like it here, huh?” Tanaka walked over to him, keeping a few feet between them. _Gotta give him some space; he’s been actin’ a bit weird whenever I get too close today._ “You tried sleepin’ in here the first night.”

“Mm. It’s a nice view,” Ennoshita replied, a hint of tiredness in his voice. “I never got a window seat in a transport ship, and now I have the best seat in the house.”

A million lame pick-up lines raced through Tanaka’s mind - _Not better than my view right now, My lap is a better seat, I've never seen stars as beautiful as your eyes,_ \- but _Give him space_ was the thought that anchored him and kept his mouth shut.

_Maybe keeping my mouth shut is the problem. I should ask him about it._ “Hey, Ennoshita.” Ennoshita turned from the window, his pretty eyes looking straight at him, and whatever words he had mentally prepared vanished. _Since when do I get nervous about this sorta thing?_ “I was thinkin’-” It was barely there, hardly noticeable, but Tanaka caught the way Ennoshita leaned just an inch or two further away when Tanaka spoke. _Bad start._ “Just-” _Spit it out._ “S’there anything buggin’ ya? Maybe I’m just imagining it, but seems like something’s off.”

Even if he hit the nail on the head, Tanaka was starting to regret asking, because Ennoshita looked so _pained_ for half a second that Tanaka wanted to shove his stupid robot fist into his own damn mouth. But Ennoshita recovered quickly, offering Tanaka an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to worry you, there’s just been a lot on my mind.”

“Do ya wanna talk about it?”

Ennoshita was taken aback at first, eyes wide with surprise. He stayed quiet for a moment, tapping the glass as he considered Tanaka’s offer. “Maybe some day. But for now, I need to think some things over.” He looked back at Tanaka, his apologetic smile turning to something more genuine and his cheeks tinting pink again. “Thank you, Tanaka.”

_He ain’t upset at me. That’s good enough for me._ “I’ll leave ya to it, then. Good night, Ennoshita.”

Ennoshita could keep his distance all he wanted. He could keep his thoughts to himself instead of sharing. But he’d never be able to hide the way his heart picked up speed whenever Tanaka called him by his name, and that was one secret Tanaka was going to keep all to himself to savor.

* * *

“So what’s the hangover count?”

“Just two. One of them is Yamaguchi, and he barely drank. We may have a new lightweight champion.”

“No way. He beat Daichi-san?”

“Hard to tell. We’ll have to pay attention to what they drink next time.” Noya hopped up onto a cot and stretched his legs out in front of him, the fake leg creaking as the knee bent. “It was a good night though. You know you’re getting older when everyone getting buzzed is more fun than everyone getting shitfaced.”

“Uh uh. No ‘gettin’ older’ talk. You an’ me are shining examples of eternal youth.” Tanaka folded his arms in front of his chest as he leaned against the counter. The med bay had become their meeting place, spending most of their free time chatting and getting into a surprising lack of trouble. _Maybe we are gettin’ older._ He hated hospitals, but there was something different, something comforting about the med bay. Hospitals were huge and haunting, threatening to swallow him with no escape as he was forced to sit in bed instead of hunt for his team. Med bays were intimate, personal saviors that rescued him from the cold ground that should have been his deathbed. The med bay was a place of hope to him. The medical supplies readily available, the cots to nap on when he needed the calm to rest his mind, and his best friend that saved his life once upon a time all in one place made it his favorite room on the ship. Even the seemingly permanently fixture that was Tsukishima sitting at his desk, staring at his laptop with the blaring music on his headphones had grown on Tanaka.

“Then you won’t want to hear about this. Did you know Asahi-san’s married now?”

“What?!”

“It’s not official legally since Asahi-san’s considered dead, and there're no laws about AIs getting married, but they have rings and vows and all that. They even have a ring for Suga-san.”

“Well, shit. I heard they got together, but I didn’t know the married bit. Never saw Daichi-san with a ring.”

“He wears it on a necklace with Suga-san’s ring.” Noya folded his legs, wiggling a bit to get comfortable. “Hearing they’re married last night made me feel so old. I think I’m aging 20 years just talking about it.”

“So, uh… How else do ya feel about it?” There was no secret there was something between them before the shit hit the fan, but whatever that ‘something’ was, Tanaka had no idea. He just knew it wasn’t as simple as ‘just Connected’. _If there’s even such a thing as ‘just Connected’._

“You mean me and Asahi-san, right?” Noya shrugged, not giving Tanaka the chance to answer. “I don’t know, honestly. We never really had a label for us. Whatever happened, happened.” He flopped onto his back on the cot as he continued, “I’m happy for them. And it’s been so long since we’ve seen each other, it wouldn’t make sense to just jump back into what we were. But part of me feels like that’s what was supposed to happen, even if I’m not sure it’s what I want. I don’t think the option’s completely gone either. I started flirting as a joke, and Daichi-san winked at him and left us alone. Suga-san whistled at us. But we just laughed it off.” He shrugged again, looking over at Tanaka. “We’ll see what happens. I think what we have now is good, but if something changes to how things were before, I won’t complain.” He flashed Tanaka a mischievous grin. “Speaking of Connected,” he purred, “I’ve seen the way you and Chikara look at each other. What’s going on there?”

“There’s nothin’ go- Wait, ‘each other’?”

“Ryuu, how have you not noticed? He looks at you like you’re the sun.”

All thoughts swimming in Tanaka’s mind stopped, any words or ideas he could articulate crashing and leaving him in a silence so strong he could only hear the music from Tsukishima’s headphones. He opened his mouth to reply, but all he managed to squeak out was “Sun?”

“Ha! Wow, you’ve got it _bad,_ huh? I mean, I could tell by the way you look at him, too. Which begs the gravely serious question.” Noya hopped off the cot to walk over to Tanaka, resting his hand on his shoulder and solemnly asking, “Have you used _the_ pick-up line on him yet?”

The thoughts began swimming in his mind again, but none of the appropriate ones. “I’ve been savin’ it for just the right moment.”

Noya nodded in approval. “Good. Timing will be key. Be patient - he’s _hot,_ so it’ll be worth the wait.”

“He’s _so_ hot,” Tanaka groaned in agreement. “I can’t stop watchin’ him-”

“I noticed.”

“Everything he does! His smile’s gonna kill me someday. And have you seen him laugh? Shit, he’s _gorgeous,_ Noya-san. And talk about gorgeous, his neck, oh man-”

“Does he even have a neck? He wears those turtleneck sweaters every day.”

“I’ve seen it, and let me tell ya, those sweaters are a tragedy to humanity. They’re denyin’ us proof of the gods’ divine powers.” He groaned again as he sank against the counter. “I could spend hours kissin’ that neck.”

“Yeesh, you really do have it bad.” Noya leaned against the counter beside him. “Do you get that feeling from him that…” He rested his elbows on the counter, tapping a finger where he could reach as he considered how to describe his thoughts, “you're made for each other? Not in a ‘get married and adopt 47 dogs together’ way, but when whoever made us- gods or fate or whatever- that you were created to be there for each other? I always felt Asahi-san was my other half, and not in a lovers way. When we weren't talking, half of me was gone. And I assumed it was because we were Connected, but never had anybody else to ask before.”

_Made for each other?_ In a rare burst of contemplation, Tanaka mulled Noya’s words over in his mind before answering. _My other half…_ “I dunno about that yet, Noya-san. I've only known ‘im a few months now. But…” Asahi and Noya weren't two halves. Each on their own was an extraordinary whole. But when they were together, it was like everything fit into place. They complimented each other's weaknesses. They amplified each other's strengths. _Are Ennoshita and I like that?_ If they weren't now, maybe one day they could be. But that feeling... “I think I know what ya mean. Like he's a part of me I didn't know was missin’. Hurts just thinking what it would be like if he wasn't here, and I ain't even known him that long.” Tanaka thought he felt that way about others before; he'd fallen in love and infatuation alike, and he felt the pain when they were gone. But that was a pain that healed. Ennoshita felt like more than that, somehow; his heartbeat belonged near, close where Tanaka could feel it and protect it, protect _him._

“So you feel it too.” Noya tapped his finger on the counter again as he stared off across the way preemptively. “I wonder how you'll change together since it hasn't been long.”

“I dunno. As long as he's around, I'm happy. But between you and me, Noya-san,” Tanaka flashed him a grin, “I'm hopin’ it changes to me kissin’ that neck for hours.”

The familiar beep on the intercom chimed before Suga’s voice came through. “Sorry to interrupt your dramatic pining Tanaka, but there’s a call for Nishinoya.”

“A call?” Noya raised his eyebrow, looking at the intercom wall unit. “From who?”

“Johzenji’s medic. He says it’s an emergency.”

Noya exchanged confused glances with Tanaka. “Patch him through.”

Tanaka didn’t get the chance to talk to him the day before, but the medic’s timid voice matched the figure he saw briefly on the security monitors. “Yuu-kun? Are you s-still in the area?”

“We should still be parked a few miles out. What’s wrong, Tsucchi?”

“There was a surprise attack! There are t-too many injuries for me to handle!”

Noya’s eyebrows shot up in surprise, and even Tsukishima lowered his headphones to listen in. “Relax, Tsucchi. Is anybody in critical condition?”

“N-no, but we can’t wait too long!”

“Forward your coordinates, we’ll be there as soon as possible.” The intercom beeped as the call ended, and Noya frowned at Tanaka. “Looks like the fun is just getting started.”

* * *

The site of the attack was a mess, but thankfully a bloodless one. What must have once been a small, secluded building Tanaka never got the chance to see was now just rubble, but the injured mercenaries were all a few yards away. “Th-there was an explosion when they tried to walk in,” Johzenji’s medic knelt by one of the knocked out mercs, hands shaking but doing his best to appear calm. “M-most are unconscious from the impact but they all had their armor on.”

“So the shields took most of it,” Noya confirmed as he looked over the mercenaries scattered across the ground, the seven of them safely moved away from the debris. “Daichi-san and Asahi-san are getting the stretcher. We’ll move them to our med bay and bring you guys to a hospital. Any spinal injuries?”

“N-no. I think they’ll be okay if we get them to a hospital in a day or so. Captain and Hanamaki are waking up already.”

“Good. Tsucchi, Tsukishima, be careful when removing their armor. The heat from the blast could cause problems. Everyone else, give us space and leave the transporting to Daichi-san and Asahi-san. They’re trained for it.”

The medics continued doing whatever the hell it is medics do, but Tanaka couldn’t process anything beyond the keywords he heard over the intercom: _surprise attack._ If it had anything to do with his ambush...

“Um… Misaki-san, was it?” Ennoshita approached the female merc standing beside Kiyoko, one of the only two of the present group that were safely out of the blast’s range. The only hint she was shaken by the ordeal was the way she kept glancing over at her team with concern, but putting up a good front as she spoke with Kiyoko. _She’s tough._ “Was there anyone else that was with you? Was anybody taken?”

Misaki shook her head, brown hair swaying with the motion. “This is all of us.”

Ennoshita hummed as he thought. “Then you believe this was done with the intent to kill?”

“Had to be,” she agreed. “We don’t usually come here in armor, but Cap’n said he ‘had a feeling’. If we didn’t listen to him, they’d all be dead for sure.”

“Did you see anybody?”

“No. I think this was planted before we showed up.”

Ennoshita bit the corner of his lip, and Tanaka resisted the urge to reach out and nudge it away from his teeth. “Got something in mind, Ennoshita?”

“I don’t think this is related to your ambush at all.” He turned to Tanaka, resting a hand on his shoulder in the rare gesture to touch him first. “I assume that’s what came to your mind too, judging by the look on your face.”

Tanaka placed his hand over Ennoshita’s, giving a gentle squeeze to the slender fingers beneath his own. “What kinda look are we talkin’ about?”

“Like you're actually thinking for once.”

“Hey, I think sometimes!”

“‘Sometimes’?” Ennoshita pulled his hand away, but Tanaka caught a glimpse of his amused smirk as he turned. “We should look for clues. This couldn’t have been Shiratorizawa or Dateko because they’re obligated to attempt arrests first, which means this was another party.”

“Good idea.” Misaki grabbed Kiyoko’s hand with one of hers and pointed behind them with the other. “Us two will check around where the entrance was.”

Ennoshita nodded back. “Alright. Tanaka, would you come with me? I’m going to check around the back.”

Tanaka followed as they carefully walked through strewn bricks and wood littering the ground. “What kinda clues are we looking for?”

“Anything that seems out of place, for one. Let’s see…” Ennoshita moved a small chunk of fallen wall over with his foot, revealing a whole lot of nothing. “Looks like whoever was here did a good job of avoiding footprints, so we’ll need to look for something more. When I was stealing, I needed to be sure I didn’t leave behind anything that could be traced back to me personally. Stray hairs, dropped items with fingerprints, things like that. If we’re lucky, maybe we can find something.”

“Did ya shave your head when you were stealin’? So ya didn’t leave hair around?”

“I did, and it looked terrible. Honestly, I’m impressed you pull it off so well.”

“Impressed, eh? Think it looks good on me?”

“Are you fishing for compli-” Ennoshita came to a halt abruptly enough that Tanaka didn’t have time to notice before walking into him. Ennoshita held up a hand in apology at Tanaka’s accusatory _Oi,_ but immediately pointed at the ground after. “I found something.” The brown pouch sticking out of the dirt was easy to miss, just large enough to hold a wallet or phone. “Don’t touch it, Tanaka,” Ennoshita warned as Tanaka started to crouch next to it, tugging him back up by the back of his shirt. “There could be fingerprints on it. Misaki-san is still in her armor. We can have her pick it up without smudging them.”

Ennoshita’s feet idly dragged him a few feet away as he spoke to Kiyoko over the comm, his finger pressed to the back of his ear as he answered their questions and looked around at nothing in particular. “Shimizu-san and Misaki-san are on their way here. They may have found something too.”

“Alright! Nice job on-”

It happened in a flash; the sound of cement scraping against cement, the view of the remaining chunk of wall sliding from the corner of Tanaka’s eye, Ennoshita’s yelp and much stronger grip than Tanaka expected on his arm as he jerked him away from the falling debris.

Tanaka blinked down at the large chunk of rubble that landed too close to his feet. “Shit. That was close,” he laughed, _casually,_ because he was _safe,_ nothing happened, just another close call that was expected when his job was what it was.

But Ennoshita’s fingers clenched around his forearms were tight enough to bruise. Ennoshita’s heart was racing like Tanaka had barely ever felt before; he was always _calm,_ even when he wasn’t, working so hard to keep his breathing under control. But now the calm was gone, replaced with his heavy breathing as he looked at Tanaka with eyes wide in fear.

“Hey, it’s alright.” Tanaka managed to pry the strong fingers from his forearm, keeping the hand in his and letting Ennoshita hold on too tightly. “Not even a scratch. Everything’s good.”

“Everything’s _not_ good, Tanaka!” If he meant to yell in frustration, it came out more of a whisper, his voice failing to catch up to his panic. “You could have been hurt like Nishinoya! It’s bad enough I have to watch you get shot at, Tanaka! What if you... What if…”

“‘What if’ nothing. I’m fine. And nothing can keep me down, got that?” Tanaka squeezed Ennoshita’s hand back, gently tugging him closer. Ennoshita barely budged from his spot, but the half a foot he managed to move was enough for Tanaka. He wasn’t pulling away anymore. “‘Sides, I got you here to keep me safe now. Look at you, bein’ the hero again. You’re makin’ a habit of it.”

Ennoshita furrowed his brow and pouted his lip _just_ a tad, enough to give that look like he wanted to believe Tanaka but couldn’t bring himself to, like a scorned lover being begged for forgiveness.

Tanaka reluctantly looked away when he heard the thudding of Misaki’s heavy boots. She cleared her throat before she asked a bit smugly, “Are we interrupting something?”

“The pouch is over there,” Ennoshita replied quietly, removing his hand from Tanaka’s to point towards the small satchel on the ground. “Be careful of falling debris.” The conflicted look was still etched across his face as he turned back to Tanaka. “I’ll... be on the ship.”

* * *

“Will they be okay?”

The command center felt empty with just the five of them around the table. “They’ll all be fine, Misaki,” Daichi reassured her. “It’s mostly broken bones. Terushima got the worst of it, and he’s feeling well enough to flirt with me.”

Misaki sighed with relief, or maybe exasperation. “Already? I hope he’s not giving your doctor trouble.”

“I mentioned the big guy with the glare was my husband and left Asahi there to watch over him. That should keep him quiet for a little while,” Daichi remarked with a smug grin. “I hear you four have been busy?”

Kiyoko ran her fingers through Misaki’s hair as the merc rested her head on her shoulder. “Ennoshita suggested we look for clues.”

“I doubt Dateko would be willing to help Johzenji, but just in case the attackers posed a threat to civilians…” Ennoshita explained, some life coming back to his voice.

“Good call.” Daichi looked down at the items on the table: the pouch covered in dirt and a few busted steel pieces. “I take it this is what you could find?”

“I’m fairly certain those pieces they found belong to a tripwire,” Ennoshita replied. “It’s hard to tell from what little we have, but a lot of security systems use something similar to set off alarms. It would explain why the explosion happened right when they walked in and why no one else was spotted. The attacker wouldn’t need to wait around with a detonator.” The more he explained, the more his confidence grew, a welcomed certainty in his voice Tanaka loved to hear. “There’s not much left to the pieces, but Dateko or Nekoma could trace back to the manufacturer and places they sell to and narrow it down from there.”

“And this bag?”

“Be careful not to touch it. When Misaki-san opened it, it was empty, but there’s a sharp wire sticking out by the clasp that must have nicked whoever it belonged to. There’s not much dried blood, but between that and fingerprints, Dateko may be able to get a decent lead from it.”

“Impressive job, Ennoshita.” Tanaka caught the faint blush that perfectly suited Ennoshita’s cheeks from the corner of his eye while Daichi continued. “We’ll take these to a Dateko base after we bring the injured to a hospital.”

Ennoshita flickered his eyes to Misaki before back to Daichi. “Do you mind if we talk in private, Daichi-san?”

Daichi blinked in confusion but agreed all the same. “Alright.”

Daichi led the way to his quarters, neither of them arguing when Tanaka followed them in. _His room’s too damn big._ It was at least three times the size of any other, though with the new addition of Asahi, it was a good thing the bed was huge, too. With the large projector lining a wall, Suga’s hologram had free roam of the full room, walking or climbing or swimming through however he pleased. He waved enthusiastically from his spot on the desk as the three entered, shaking Daichi’s finger - or at least trying to, his holographic hands poking through -  but kept quiet for Daichi to speak. “What’s on your mind, Ennoshita?”

“If we bring them to a hospital, Shiratorizawa are obligated to arrest them if they hear. If you want to avoid that chance, there’s a clinic they can go to. I didn’t want to mention this in front of Misaki-san in case you’re okay with them possibly getting arrested.”

“It’s a tough call,” Daichi confessed, smiling fondly as Suga climbed onto his hand and tossed a holographic rope over his shoulder to scale his arm. “They’ve helped us, and they’re considered a necessary evil. It’s been argued things would be worse off without them. But they’re still responsible for a lot of illicit activity.” He poked Suga’s side, giving an amused huff as Suga tried to kick the finger blocking his path. “Why haven’t they mentioned the clinic?”

Ennoshita shrugged his shoulders just a bit. “The clinic is illegally run. Terushima probably assumes we’d report the clinic to the authorities. Maybe he doesn’t realize his chances of getting arrested.”

“If I decide to bring them to the clinic instead of a different hospital,” Daichi gave a high-five to the holographic doll cheering as he reached the ‘summit’ of his shoulder, “what are the coordinates?”

“I don’t remember. But…” Ennoshita looked at Tanaka hesitantly as if he knew what the hell was going on in his pretty head, “Tsukishima might know.”

Daichi and Tanaka tilted their heads in unified confusion. “Tsukishima?”

“I was researching some things, and…” Ennoshita cast his gaze to the floor, “his brother is a doctor, but after a bad call, a few patients died. The case against him was enough to stain his record and get him fired. This happened around the time Nakashima opened the clinic. There’s a good chance he’s there, and Tsukishima may know about it.”

Tanaka clapped a hand on Ennoshita’s shoulder. “Why d’ya got this look like you're the one that did it?”

A frown didn't suit his pretty face. “Because it's not my secret to tell.”

“Maybe not, but you just gave us an option we didn't have before.” Daichi clapped a hand on his other shoulder. “Everything you've figured out today is impressive.”

Ennoshita glanced up at the two of them, but the kicked puppy look didn't go away.

“Daichi~!” Suga poked the captain's cheek. “Don't forget the key!”

Daichi’s eyes lit up as the item in question came to his mind. “Right!” He walked over to his desk, pulling out some sort of knob - or maybe it was a screwdriver? - with four unique prongs at the end of the handle, each of them the width of a pen tip. “Tanaka, you told me the other day you think it's time. And after the past two days, I agree.”

“Oh, _that_ key!” Tanaka grabbed the key from Daichi’s outstretched hand. _‘Bout time I get to do this._

Ennoshita’s confusion made it that much more exciting. “What key?” he asked, eyes following Daichi as he left the room with a smirk but no explanation.

“The key,” Tanaka began, taking hold of Ennoshita’s hand, “to your heart.”

Ennoshita didn't seem impressed by the awesome pick-up line, - _Not as good as_ the _pick-up line, but still damn good,_ \- clearly just unaware of how amazing it was. “Then it must be the key to the filter between your brain and your mouth.”

“You sass me now, but you'll change your mind in a minute.” Tanaka pushed up the sleeve bunched up around the white shackle with his thumb, and Ennoshita sucked in a sharp breath as the purpose of the key dawned on him. “You ain't a prisoner anymore, Ennoshita.” Tanaka turned the hand in his until he found the lock on the inside of his wrist. Ennoshita’s hand trembled faintly as Tanaka pushed the key into the lock. “You're a part of this team.” He glanced up as he twisted the key in place, admiring the _gorgeous_ brown eyes watching in awe as the shackle unsnapped and fell to the floor.

Ennoshita sucked in another sharp breath as Tanaka ran his thumb over the freshly exposed skin of the inside of his wrist. Ennoshita’s heart sped up as Tanaka took a moment to trace the indent left by the shackle, his breathing growing heavier as he raised his other shaky wrist up for Tanaka.

“You alright?” Tanaka asked as he reluctantly let go of the first hand to grab hold of the other. Ennoshita only nodded in response, bringing his hand - his _free_ hand - up to his watery eyes.

Tanaka stepped closer as he inserted the key into the second lock. “What’d I say? All out of sass now,” he teased softly as twisted the key, the shackle falling to the floor beside its partner. Ennoshita choked on a half-laugh, half-sob as he closed the distance, hiding his face in the crook of Tanaka’s neck. Tanaka pocketed the key before curling his fingers around Ennoshita’s wrists between them gently, brushing his thumbs over the sensitive skin as Ennoshita choked another sob into his neck.

His hands slid to Ennoshita’s waist to wrap around him when Ennoshita snaked his arms around Tanaka’s neck. _A perfect fit._ “Guess it feels good to have ‘em off, huh?”

He could feel Ennoshita nodding against his neck damp from the tears. “Thank you, Tanaka,” he replied, voice cracking.

“Don’t thank me. This was all you.” Tanaka rested the side of his head against Ennoshita’s, the fabric of the turtleneck teasing his lips for the quiet moment spent holding him in his arms.

But it was inevitable Ennoshita would pull away. “I need to go wash my face,” he mumbled, sniffling and removing an arm from Tanaka’s shoulder to wipe his cheek as he stepped back.

Tanaka chuckled as he ran a thumb under one of Ennoshita’s red eyes. “Yeah, you look like hell.”

It was a lie, of course, - it was impossible for Ennoshita to look like hell, even with his face red and cheeks puffy - but the amused smile that graced Ennoshita’s lips made the remark worth it. “Gee, thanks.” He brought his hand up to Tanaka’s, squeezing it one last time. “I’m going to wash up and go to bed. I feel like I could sleep for a year after today.”

“Yeah, I’m kinda feelin’ that too,” Tanaka replied, feeling a yawn coming on at the idea of sleep. “I’ll see ya tomorrow?”

“Mm. Tomorrow,” Ennoshita nodded. “Good night, Tanaka.”

“Night, Ennoshita.”

Tanaka savored the quickened beat of Ennoshita’s heart when Tanaka used his name as he walked away. A complete team of outcasts, a med bay full of wounded mercenaries, and an unshackled thief all on one ship. _Can’t get crazier than a day like today._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you like movie metaphors and ANGST, check out [Ennoshita's Theory](http://archiveofourown.org/works/6677314/chapters/15271897) by [thepessimist](http://archiveofourown.org/users/thepessimist/pseuds/thepessimist), It's good stuff.
> 
> For shits and giggles, here's a list of the teams and what they do:  
> \- Aoba Johsai - A largely successful company that builds engines/motors, run by Oikawa Tooru. [Since I don’t know if it’ll get mentioned later on, the company started from Oikawa’s personal pockets, but since then easily runs off its own profits. “Seijou” and “Aoba Johsai” are technically separate.]  
> \- Dateko - Essentially law enforcement and detective work, they have bases located on nearly every planet/colony.  
> \- Fukurodani - They build vehicles, primarily ships, and work closely with Nekoma. They often use engines made by Aoba Johsai.  
> \- Johzenji - A mercenary group that controls most of the underworld.  
> \- Karasuno Operations - A hand of the Shiratorizawa military that often uses unorthodox methods. Not technically being part of Shiratorizawa gives them freedom to use these unorthodox methods, such as hiring criminals or working alongside Johzenji for missions.  
> \- Nekoma Tech - A research group responsible for most of the recent technological breakthroughs used by Shiratorizawa, Dateko, and Karasuno.  
> \- Seijou - The group run by the ‘Grand King’ is believed to be a myth by most people, but anyone with a secret that could ruin them remain wary of the shadow threat. Their agents are everywhere, collecting secrets on everyone and every place. For the right price, they’ll sell you your enemy’s secrets.


	7. thief

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The sound as the ship shook was far worse than the scraping cement that haunted him all night; it sounded like a saw cutting through steel, a horrifying screech that pierced Ennoshita’s ears and drilled through his teeth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Aurora - Under the Water](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HP24Fp_aJbM)  
>  Word count: 5555

Ennoshita no longer stole secrets. The indents left on his skin from the shackles would be gone in a few days, taking his past as a prisoner with him. But he’d always be a thief. Instead of stealing documents, he stole glances. Instead of stealing recordings, he stole quiet moments in the midst of the vibrant life on the ship.

“They were custom made for you, weren't they?”

“Mhm. They were designed to stay on at all times.”

“Guess they’re souvenirs now.”

Ennoshita watched the offending items over the rim of his cup as if they were about to launch back on his wrists at any moment. The white handcuffs looked out of place from their spot on the table, unclasped and sitting idly beside their key and remote instead of wrapped around his wrists as they had been for almost a year now. “You can keep them.” They had some fond memories attached to them; he’d met this team - including the man that seemed intent on using that remote to make his life hell for a while - with those cuffs on. But they were just as much a symbol he had no choice but to be there, even if he was growing fond of the ship and its crew. “Who knows, you might need them in case I act up again.”

Daichi’s laugh was as warm and comforting as the tea in his hands, softening the intense atmosphere the command center often held during meetings. With the two stools dragged over to the table, drinks in hand, and idle chatter to lighten the mood, the command center felt like any other room. “Are you planning on causing trouble?”

“You never know. My kleptomaniac tendencies might compel me to steal pens from Yachi’s office.”

The crinkles at the corners of Daichi’s eyes as he laughed added a certain charm to his handsome face; though these days, Ennoshita had been stealing glances far less often in his direction. His eyes would too frequently wander to another, stealing glances at the man that stole his every waking thought in return.  _ And not just the waking thoughts. _

“You alright, Ennoshita?” Ennoshita must have looked confused about Daichi’s sudden concern, because the captain clarified, “You got pretty quiet there.”

“Mm. Just had a rough night.”

The worst part about nightmares was how rarely they attacked alone; one after another they came -  _ The cold wind as he was forced to watch Tanaka left bleeding on the ground to die, the overwhelming shots fired at Tanaka’s armor long after his shields were gone, the sound of cement scraping as the debris dropped over Tanaka  _ \- until his heart rate was enough to wake the victim of his dreams. After Tanaka knocked on his door to check up on him, his dreams were much more lighthearted - often praising the door between them that held his last shred of willpower and stopped him from pulling Tanaka into his bed to sleep in his arms again.

Ennoshita brought the empty mug to his lips, frowning as he realized the hard way that his tea was gone. “I shouldn't complain. Johzenji had it worse.” The clinic was easy to reach; the hardest part was getting Tsukishima to divulge he knew anything about it. With a quick jump to a nearby colony, the mercs were out of their hands before nightfall - though Terushima promised he'd return the favor some day, and for once, his words were genuine instead of suggestive.

Daichi placed his own empty mug on the table beside the handcuffs. “It could have been much worse, and I think they all realized that. They're lucky to be alive, nevermind just a few burns and broken bones. And there were enough medics to alternate sleeping shifts. Asahi knows enough that he could help Nishinoya with the night shift.”

He said it so casually - just his husband and his Connected, spending time together. “That doesn't bother you?” Ennoshita asked, his curiosity apparently winning the battle against manners for the right to control his mouth.

It was Daichi’s turn to look confused, raising his eyebrows at Ennoshita. “Why would I be bothered about them switching shifts?”

“No, I mean…”  _ Gah, why did I open my mouth.  _ “Nishinoya and Asahi spending time together.”

“You mean because they're Connected?” Daichi’s smug grin was probably a bad sign. “You know Connected can be just friends, right?”

_ If I wasn't obvious enough before...  _ Ennoshita brought his empty mug back to his lips in what was, quite frankly, a poor attempt to cover his blush.  _ I'll just stay quiet. If I open my mouth I'll likely shove my foot back in it. _

“If you’re asking if I’m  _ jealous,  _ I’m not. They have a past. But Suga and I always knew they’d reunite some day. And if something more happens between them again, we don’t mind. He has a big heart. He has plenty of affection to go around.” Daichi offered a small smile before he confessed, “But I am a little envious. Nishinoya shares something with Asahi that I never will.”

Suga’s holographic doll appeared instantly, hands on his jointed hips. “Ahem. What was that? Do I hear complaining?” he chirped playfully.

Daichi held up his hands in mock surrender. “You’re right, you’re right. I’m happy to have all that I do,” he replied, lowering his hands, “How does being Connected feel for you? It seems different from person to person.”

“For me, it’s…” Ennoshita ran his thumb over his wrist, confused for a moment when he touched skin instead of a handcuff.  _ What’s it like?  _ He didn’t even know where to begin.  _ Where  _ did  _ it begin…  _ “When I first felt Tanaka’s heart, it felt… natural. As if it had always been there.” He remembered the heat of the simulated fire as Tanaka charged off. “And the thought of losing it was terrifying.” But now he feared far more than losing that feeling. He’d give up the feeling in an instant if it meant he’d never have to watch Tanaka get hurt.

“You two didn’t get along when I met you.”  _ That’s right. When we met Suga-san in the skycar, we were arguing.  _ “Do you think being Connected changed that?”

_ Did we start to get along because we were Connected?  _ “No, I don’t think so. Maybe it helped because it forced us into circumstances to work together. But it wasn’t why we started to get along.”

“What changed?” asked Daichi.

_ What  _ did  _ change?  _ When  _ did it change?  _ Some of the moments they spent together, good and bad alike, ran through his mind. Maybe it was their time together in the combat simulator. Maybe it was Tanaka’s hand in his during the procedure for the chips. Maybe it was Tanaka saving him during the first mission, Tanaka insisting he was a hero, Tanaka promising he’d be more careful. Tanaka running his fingers through his hair, Tanaka fitting perfectly in his arms, Tanaka saying his name, Tanaka sleeping with his head on his chest. Tanaka, Tanaka, Tanaka…

“Oi, you alright there?” Daichi’s smug grin was back. “You zoned out there.”

“Leave him alone, Daichi,” Suga remarked, though judging by his playful tone, Ennoshita doubted Suga was about to defend him. “Can’t you see he’s blushing? You can’t ask him about Tanaka and expect an answer straight away. He needs a few minutes to daydream.”

“It’s not like that,” Ennoshita groaned.

“It’s not?” Daichi asked, a little confused. “I thought for sure with the way you two look at each other…”

_ ‘Look at each other’.  _ It wasn’t a surprise. It wasn’t, but still, to hear it from someone else…  _ I can’t keep pretending it’s not mutual.  _ It wasn’t just in the way Tanaka was quick to touch him. It was in the way he watched him intently. It was in his lingering glances. It was in the way his tone grew softer when they were alone. It was in the video he replayed over and over alone in his room from the contact camera, how Tanaka always focused on his lips, or his eyes, or his neck when they were together that day.

_ I want him so badly I can’t even hold a conversation without drifting off into thoughts of him. _

Before he could apologize for daydreaming yet again, Suga cut in, urgency in his voice. “Daichi, I sense another ship within the vicinity. No identification. I believe they-”

The sound as the ship shook was far worse than the scraping cement that haunted him all night; it sounded like a saw cutting through steel, a horrifying screech that pierced Ennoshita’s ears and drilled through his teeth.

The lights flickered before they were gone, only the emergency lights lining the pathways of the ship remaining.

And with the lights flickered Suga, his hologram blinking out before he disappeared.

It wasn’t just Suga and the lights; the gravity stabilizers must have stopped, leaving Ennoshita feeling weightless as if he was swimming, his body lifting off the stool and the stool following suit. Daichi floating across from him grabbed the table edge, and Ennoshita followed his example, watching the mugs, the cuffs, the key, the remote… all of it floating in front of his eyes as he held onto the table for stability.

Daichi’s panicked inquiry may have been worse than the ship’s screeching. “Suga? What's going on? Suga?!”

Hinata’s shouts carried through the hall from the helm. “Captain! We've been hit!”

“Get us out of here!”

The thefts, the combat simulators, the missions… All that Ennoshita had done, all that he had learned, all that he had helped, and yet in that moment he was useless, only able to stare in disbelief at the handcuffs slowly drifting before him.  _ We’re going to die, and there’s nothing I can do about it.  _ He wasn’t sure he even felt fear, truly… It was too surreal how quickly a calm moment in the life he was finally getting used to was thrown into disarray, and he had no control over what happened next. He could only hold onto the table to keep from drifting away with handcuffs.

He hadn’t felt the sudden lurch from an emergency hyperdrive before, but it was strong enough to punch him in the stomach through the lack of gravity.

“Hyperdrive jump was successful,” Kageyama stated so plainly through the communicator that Ennoshita was beginning to wonder if he was even human.

“No other ships in the vicinity here,” Hinata replied, and he sounded… excited? How long had he been waiting to make that jump? “Stealth systems engaged. We’re safe, Captain!”

Daichi didn’t look convinced. “What’s the damage? How is Suga?”

“The jump was made from the emergency engine generator. Damage is all external. Suga-san’s core wasn’t hit, but he’ll be offline with the internal power.” There was a little shake to Kageyama’s voice when Ennoshita focused on it. “I recommend saving energy for the stealth system and distress signal.”

Ennoshita felt Daichi’s sigh of relief as his own, his silent panic dissolving a little as the captain gave commands so confidently through the comm that it left Ennoshita in awe. “Hinata, send a signal to Shiratorizawa and Dateko bases. Kageyama, do whatever you can to manage the power while we wait for a rescue.”

“Could I get Yamaguchi’s assistance with repairs I can make on this end?”

“Of course. For everyone else, don’t panic - we’re safe, and we’ll get out of this. It could take up to a few hours for help to arrive. Treat this as a low-oxygen situation as a precaution. Stay in your rooms and use the oxygen reducing masks. Connected, you know what to do.” He glanced up at Ennoshita as he took his finger off his ear comm button. “Ennoshita. Go to Tanaka.”

“Right. Tanaka.”  _ Right. Just go to him. Everything’s okay. We’re safe. Everything's okay-  _ Ennoshita repeated the words in his mind over and over, hoping if he told himself enough that he’d believe it.  _ Go to Tanaka. That’s all I need to focus on for now. Everything’s okay- _

In the midst of his panicked thoughts, it didn’t click  _ why  _ Daichi told him to go Tanaka. He couldn’t think beyond ‘Everything’s okay’ and the wall he floated along, pushing himself forward from whatever ledges he could find until he reached Tanaka in the open dining area.

_ Everything’s okay.  _ For the first time, he believed it; Tanaka was there, stuck in the air in the middle of the room, but he was  _ there,  _ he was  _ safe,  _ smiling at Ennoshita with outstretched arms. Ennoshita kicked off the wall to reach him, Tanaka grabbing hold of his arms and pulling him closer.

“You alright?” Tanaka asked in that soft tone he saved just for Ennoshita when they were alone, and any remaining panic was gone. No panic, no ground beneath his feet, no more doubts… Just Tanaka, Tanaka’s arms wrapping around his waist to hold him close, Tanaka’s strong chest beneath his fingers, Tanaka’s gorgeous eyes focused on only him.

“Everything’s okay,” Ennoshita whispered, too absorbed in the eyes a few inches away watching him.

Ennoshita’s eyes fluttered to Tanaka’s lips, and Daichi’s words -  _ ‘Go to him.’  _ \- clicked in his mind, as well as the Nekoma Tech researcher’s explanation from when they barely knew each other.  _ Low oxygen situation, meditative state, respiration rate decrease, mouth contact- _

“Y-you ready for this?” Tanaka asked,  _ bashfully,  _ and it was too much, too much to be this close to him and in his arms and hearing him  _ stutter bashfully  _ at him.

He couldn't answer honestly,-  _ I'll never be ready-  _ but he wanted it,  _ needed  _ it, leaning in closer until he could feel Tanaka’s breath on his lips. Close enough that he could already feel it working; a calm settling over him from the breath ghosting over his lips. Close enough that he could see it in Tanaka’s heavy-lidded eyes that it was working for him too.

It would be enough to stay like this; to stay close, to just watch each other and savor the feeling of his breath on his lips.

It would be enough to work, but it wouldn’t be enough for them.

Tanaka moved first, tilting his head  _ just  _ a little,  _ just  _ enough to say  _ I want more.  _ Ennoshita sucked in a sharp breath before he leaned in closer,  _ just  _ a little,  _ just  _ enough to feel Tanaka’s slightly parted lips barely against his own. But not enough to feel if they were chapped or soft, not enough to feel if they were moist or dry, not enough, not enough, not enough-

Ennoshita felt his hands shake as he reached up to Tanaka’s neck, his fingers curling to the back of his head and feeling the shaved hair beneath his fingertips. He could hear the hitch in Tanaka’s slow breathing as he closed the sliver of distance remaining; Ennoshita finally pressed his lips against Tanaka’s gently, too gently, as if anything more could shatter the moment.

If this was meant to slow his breathing, it was working, because he forgot to breathe entirely as Tanaka returned the delicate kiss, and another, and another, punctuating each with a faint gasp as Ennoshita kissed back. Tanaka’s full lips were better than he dared to imagine, dry and soft and a perfect fit against his own. Ennoshita tilted his head a sliver more as he ran his fingers down the sides of Tanaka’s neck, down his biceps, and down his forearms to snake his arms under Tanaka’s and around his waist. Tanaka’s hand trailed up his back and into his hair, his fingers digging into the dark strands, his kisses growing a little firmer with every press against Ennoshita’s lips.

The breath returned to Ennoshita’s lungs when he parted his lips, and Tanaka accepted the silent invitation, slowly gliding his tongue along Ennoshita’s bottom lip. Ennoshita couldn't help his whimper at the fingers in his hair and tongue on his lip, and before he could think to be embarrassed by it Tanaka  _ chuckled,  _ that sexy chuckle vibrating against his lips, and any chance at rational thought drifted away with the rest of the ship. Ennoshita moved by instinct, dipping his tongue into Tanaka’s mouth, tasting his gasp as their tongues met and slid together.

All of it was intoxicating, everything from Tanaka’s perfect back beneath the thin cloth under his fingers to Tanaka’s perfect lips against his. A trickle of thought returned, a single word whispering in the back of his mind.

Ennoshita dipped his tongue in deeper, adamant on exploring Tanaka’s mouth, mapping every detail with the tip of his tongue because  _ What if he gets hurt some day, what if I don't get this chance again.  _ His sharp teeth, the smooth roof of his mouth, every angle of his tongue; he needed to commit it all to memory.

Tanaka gasped into the deeper kiss, hooking his leg around Ennoshita’s to hold him close as they floated through the gravity-less room. Tanaka’s fingers dug deeper into his hair when he decided it was his turn to explore, and Ennoshita welcomed the tongue gliding across the roof of his mouth with a sigh, letting him explore because  _ What if I get hurt some day, what if he doesn't get this chance again. _

Tanaka eventually pulled away, barely, only enough to softly kiss Ennoshita with closed lips. And then kiss again, slower this time. Over and over again, one slow kiss at a time, and Ennoshita’s head was swimming from every one. The word whispering in his mind grew louder, a faint chant that he tried to ignore. Tanaka pulled away again - to say something, judging by the look in his heavy eyes and the way he hesitated with his lips over Ennoshita’s - but Ennoshita didn't give him the chance, chasing his lips to give his own chain of soft kisses.

The chatter on the comm between the others fell mostly deaf on his ears; he could only hear Tanaka’s gasps and chuckles and faint groans, and that one word chanting in his mind. But occasionally a bit of the chatter caught his attention, the little bits that Shiratorizawa was almost there, that they were safe.

_ For now. _

He pulled Tanaka into another desperate kiss, and another, without a care about how much time dragged on or whatever else was going on in the ship.

And gravity didn't care back, throwing them mercilessly to the floor when the gravity stabilizers and lights eventually kicked back on to break their kiss.

The few feet drop was sudden and awkward and thankfully not too painful - for Ennoshita anyways. “Shit, that hurt,” Tanaka groaned from his spot on the floor, rubbing the back of his head and wincing at the lights in his eyes, but smiling up at Ennoshita above him. “So...”

They were laying in the middle of dining room floor, and people would surely walk by any minute, and they probably had to meet with Daichi or helped with the ship but _ Screw it, screw it all, I can’t keep this forever,  _ and Ennoshita ducked his head to firmly meet Tanaka’s lips again. Tanaka chuckled, that terribly tempting chuckle, and smirked against his lips before flipping Ennoshita onto his back. Tanaka rested his arms on either side of Ennoshita’s head, his fingers finding their way back into his hair like they always seemed to. Ennoshita’s mind couldn’t possibly get a chance to recover from its haze with Tanaka’s weight straddled across his hips, and Tanaka’s teeth nipping at his bottom lip, and that one word chanting in his mind growing almost as loud as the group of footsteps and voices passing by.

“Yeah! Get it, Ryuu!”

“Nishinoya, don’t bother them!”

“Sh-should someone tell them we’re having a meeting?”

“We can manage without them for this one. Let them enjoy their moment.”

_ Yes, enjoy it, enjoy it while I can.  _ Tanaka leaned down closer as his tongue found it’s way back into Ennoshita’s mouth, pressing their chests together, and it was almost too much to handle. Ennoshita slipped his hand under the hem of Tanaka’s shirt, his fingers just barely grazing the warm skin of Tanaka’s back before sliding to his ribs, to feel whatever he could.  _ While I still can.  _ Without breaking the kiss, Tanaka pulled Ennoshita’s wrists away, pinning his hands to the floor beside his head and lacing their fingers together.

“Too much?” Ennoshita whispered against Tanaka’s lips.

“Save it for later,” Tanaka replied with his own raspy whisper and another playful bite to Ennoshita’s bottom lip.

_‘Later’._ _Later_ was a promise for more, _Later_ was a lasso wrapping around him and pulling him in, _Later_ was a rope tying him to Tanaka and the ship for a lifetime because he knew if he tasted any more than he had now that he’d never recover.

Ennoshita pressed a last quick kiss before pulling away. “We should go, Tanaka,” he mumbled, his lips too sore and his voice refusing to return to him.

“They said we could skip the meeting,” Tanaka groaned, folding his arms over Ennoshita’s chest to rest his chin on them and pout down at him.  

_ His pout has no right to be endearing.  _ Ennoshita couldn’t help but smile, making note of the way Tanaka nuzzled against his hand when he ran his fingers over the shaved head. “We should see if there's anything we can help with.”

“That won't be necessary.” The only familiar aspect about the voice on the intercom was the synthetic undertone.  _ Another AI? What about Suga-san? _

Tanaka must have drawn the same conclusion. “Oi, who the hell are you? Where's Suga-san?”

“I am Shiratorizawa Enhanced Mainframe Intelligence. I’m here to get Suga back online,” the AI stated calmly. “Suga is fine. If I were to compare his current state to a human’s, he’s just sleeping. There was no damage to him and minimal damage to the ship, but it will need repairs.”  _ So Shiratorizawa is here?  _ With a familiar lurch of the ship, the AI continued. “Hyperdrive jump successful. Our ship is carrying you to the Karasuno Operations headquarters. Expected arrival: seven minutes, thirty-two seconds.”

“Why didn’t we jump there in the first place?” Ennoshita wondered aloud.  _ And why am I casually talking to an AI with Tanaka straddled across my lap on a floor?  _ He gently pushed at Tanaka’s shoulder to reluctantly nudge him off.

Tanaka got half of the message, sitting up but not moving from his spot on top of Ennoshita. “With Suga-san out of commission, it would take too long to pinpoint a jump spot. In a tight spot like that, you gotta pick a direction and pray there's nothin’ there.”

“In the event there is already something significant in the randomly designated location, the detection systems will abruptly halt the ship's jump, which could damage the engines. But the chances of something significant being in that particular location are zero point oh three four seven.”

Ennoshita listened enough to the AI to understand ‘You won't crash’, but his attention was drawn to the thighs on either side of him, resting his hands on them and - _ Crap, Tanaka caught me staring.  _ Though at this point with Tanaka grinning down at him with swollen lips, it wasn’t like getting caught mattered much.  _ We've passed the first point of no return. What does this make us? Do I have it in me to handle losing him in any capacity? _

“Seven minutes left, hm?” Tanaka leaning back down over him with that grin sent his mind into another haze and a dozen more butterflies fluttering through his stomach. “I can think of a way to kill seven minutes,” Tanaka hummed as he drew nearer. Ennoshita was helpless to his instincts for the countless time that day, pulling Tanaka down into another kiss as that one word raced through his mind.

* * *

“Whatcha think of that?”

“It’s… incredible,” Ennoshita mused, watching as Shiratorizawa’s ship took off. The ship was  _ massive,  _ at least ten times the size of Karasuno’s and casting an even larger shadow. They didn't even bother to land - there was certainly not enough space for it. They could only assist Karasuno’s ship to the ground back on the colony of Soren before taking back off into the sky.

Tanaka grabbed Ennoshita’s hand as they watched, standing outside of the Karasuno headquarters building. Tanaka laced his fingers - long and rough and a perfect fit - between Ennoshita’s, and the thief lost interest in the ship compared to the hand in his.

“Sturdiest dreadnought out there. No one fucks with them and lives,” Tanaka declared proudly as if it were his own ship. “Can't sneak up on anyone though. That's what our cruiser’s for. We can get in without tipping anyone off.”

Ennoshita couldn't think of a response, distracted by Tanaka’s voice and Tanaka’s calloused thumb brushing against his own.

“I wonder if-" Tanaka's attention was pulled away by the sound of wheels rolling on the ship's ramp behind them, Kinoshita and Narita carrying bags and rolling suitcases down. "Hey, what's with all the stuff?”

Narita turned his head away, and Kinoshita struggled to scratch the back of his neck with the bag slung on his arm. “We talked to Daichi-san after the meeting. We're… resigning. This is becoming too dangerous.”

Kinoshita fiddled with the handle of his suitcase. “This life is just not for us.”

‘Too dangerous.' ‘Not for us.’ Ennoshita was dumbstruck.  _ They're going to just… leave?  _ But they were his friends. They couldn't just go. Could they?

“I thought ya guys signed up for danger?” Tanaka asked, his grip on Ennoshita’s hand growing tighter.

“It's too much,” Narita answered so quietly, it was almost a whisper. “We can't handle it like we thought we could.”

“Good luck, you two,” Kinoshita finished for him, his eyes cast to the ground. “We’ll see you around.”

“Yeah.” Ennoshita’s voice cracked as he tried to find something, anything to say.  _ They're leaving?  _ “We’ll get drinks together some time?”

Kinoshita pulled Ennoshita into a quick hug, patting his back before turning away. Narita wore a sad smile as he gave Ennoshita a gentler embrace, rubbing his arm before bowing his head to follow Kinoshita.

Tanaka squeezed Ennoshita’s hand as he watched his two only friends for so long walk away. “Hey,” Tanaka began with a forced cheerfulness. “You'll see ‘em around. Karasuno will probably offer ‘em a job here where it's safe. You'll see ‘em plenty.” He tugged Ennoshita’s hand and nudged his head towards the building. “Wanna go see Ukai-san and Take-chan with Daichi-san? Should help distract ya.”

_ He never stops trying to help me feel better. He's too good for me.  _ “Sure,” Ennoshita replied numbly, letting Tanaka drag him down the sidewalk and through the doors of the building Ennoshita spent nine months locked up in.

After spending so much time away, walking passed the threshold into the seemingly ordinary office building immediately felt suffocating. During his incarceration, the short walks through those halls were a  _ treat,  _ a chance to stretch his legs and glance out the windows in awe at the outside world so far from his grasp. But now the bland beige walls, the clacking of shoes echoing off tiles, the subtle buzz in the air of the collective boredom as they walked through were all overwhelming, closing in on him from every side.

Tanaka tugging his hand pulled him from his silent anxiety. “Hey, remember this place?”

Ennoshita glanced around the room, his somewhat clearer mind first noticing they were hardly alone, the workers dressed in their boring outfits passing by them, looking down at their linked hands as they walked by. “We’ve been walking around like this in front of all these people...” he groaned.

Tanaka barked a laugh, squeezing his hand again and refusing to let go.  _ “That’s  _ what ya see? C’mon, look around.”

_ What am I even looking for?  _ There was nothing but more beige walls, a few windows, a staircase- “This is… the lobby? Where we first met?” The triumphant grin his Connected wore was answer enough. “That reminds me,” Ennoshita began, flashing his own smirk, “you were a jerk back then.”

“Hey, hey, so you were you!” Tanaka laughed.

“Oh, was I?” Ennoshita hummed, welcoming the chance for lighthearted teasing. “I must have forgotten when I glared at you. And shoved you against the wall. And messed around with your handcuffs-”

“Alright, alright! I get it,” Tanaka conceded with another laugh. “How about we give this place a better memory?”

Before Ennoshita could ask what he had in mind, Tanaka was already dragging him over towards the wall. “Lesse, you were right…” Tanaka pulled his hand away to nudge Ennoshita by the shoulders towards the wall, “here.”

Ennoshita did the rest without pushing, taking his spot leaning against the wall. “Like this?”

“Just like that.” Tanaka stepped closer, and now the memory was incredibly clear. The lobby with the people who were strangers then chatting to each other, the man glaring at him getting into his personal space… But now Tanaka slamming his hand with a dull thud beside his head set his heart racing for a different reason, his eyes flickering to Tanaka’s lips as he drew even closer, only a few inches away. “And then I did something like  _ this,”  _ Tanaka purred as he pressed his hand against Ennoshita’s chest, splaying his fingers out and stealing Ennoshita’s breath with the motion.

“There are people around, Tanaka,” Ennoshita barely managed to utter, still focused on the lips he didn’t think possible to get enough of.

“Then let’s give ‘em a good show.” Tanaka closed the distance, and Ennoshita sighed at the lips once again against his own, the stubble scratching his chin, the familiar hand pinning him to the wall…

_ The beige walls surrounded by fire, the locked windows and doors, no escape… _

Tanaka gasped as Ennoshita wrapped his arms around Tanaka’s waist, roughly pulling him against himself.

_ Tanaka running into the fire, swallowed by the curtain of flames… _

Tanaka nipped at his bottom lip, groaning in satisfaction as Ennoshita parted his lips for his tongue.

_ Tanaka left to die after the ambush, Tanaka getting shot at, Tanaka nearly crushed by the rubble… _

Ennoshita clutched at Tanaka’s shirt in his hands tightly as Tanaka’s tongue glided against his.

_ ‘Too dangerous.’ ‘Not for us.’ _

Grabbing hold of Tanaka’s hips, Ennoshita flipped them over, and Tanaka groaned again as he was pinned against the wall.

_ I could die. I’ll have to watch Tanaka die. _

When Tanaka sighed into the kiss, his arms snaking around Ennoshita’s waist to hold him tightly, the word and all its similarities racing through Ennoshita’s mind began to scream.

_ Run. _

_ Run, flee, escape, retreat, go, run to where you never have to watch him get hurt. _

Ennoshita broke the kiss to run his thumb over Tanaka’s bottom lip. “Tanaka, you know you’re incredible, right?”

“W-what brought this on?” Tanaka stuttered, a blush settling on his cheeks.

_ Don’t do the bashful thing now. My heart can’t take it.  _ “I just want you to know. No matter what happens, never stop believing you’re amazing.”  _ Too amazing for me. You deserve so much better. _

“Why ya bein’ all nice?” he asked, a bit uncertain before clearing his throat. “I mean, I know I am,” he declared in mock cockiness. “Just... weird to hear ya say things like that.”

Ennoshita leaned in and kissed him again, open mouthed and a bit rough and a little desperate as he held Tanaka against the wall, tasting Tanaka’s faint groans at the deliberate movements of Ennoshita’s tongue.  _ A last kiss to savor.  _ With a twinge of guilt, his hand made its way to Tanaka’s back pocket, swiftly plucking out his wallet and pocketing it.

When he reluctantly pulled away, Tanaka breathing heavily and watching him through heavy-lidded eyes was a sight he didn’t want to give up, but  _ ‘Run’  _ was screaming far too loudly in his mind to ignore anymore. “There’s something I need to do.”

“Huh?” Tanaka’s gaze was focused on his lips still. “Right now?”

_ If I don’t go now, I’ll never be able to leave.  _ “Yeah. You go ahead to Ukai-san and Take-chan.”

“A-alright,” Tanaka mumbled, pouting a little.  _ Don’t make this harder than it needs to be, Tanaka.  _ “I’ll see ya later, then.”

_ I hope so.  _ They were Connected; if he was wrong and Tanaka  _ did  _ survive his time on the ship, they’d see each other again someday.  _ And you can hate me all you want then. I deserve it. But I’d rather you hate me than have to watch you die. _

Tanaka gave him a quick peck on the lips and an oblivious grin, and Ennoshita forced a smile back as he turned away quickly, leaving before his desire to kiss Tanaka again could stop him.

He walked out of the doors of Karasuno Operations as a free man, but it was hardly the triumphant moment a movie would have made it out to be. The indents left on his skin from the shackles would be gone in a few days, taking his past as a prisoner with him. But he’d always be a thief. Instead of stealing information, he stole wallets. Instead of stealing secrets, he stole kisses he didn't deserve. And now, he stole away into the streets, just another face in the crowd on the way to the transport station.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>   
>  AAAAAAAAHHHH [THE KISS!!!](https://thepessimistsblog.tumblr.com/post/155133270481/y-you-ready-for-this-excuse-me-do-you-remember) by [thepessimistsblog](https://thepessimistsblog.tumblr.com/), you should check out their art and their writing, it's good stuff!!


	8. 200%

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Suga, can you hear us? How are you feeling?”
> 
> _Performance at 27.84%. Human equivalent to this feeling?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Word count: 7745  
> [The Beatles - While My Guitar Gently Weeps](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJDJs9dumZI)

“Suga?”

_[ Voice recognition: Sawamura Daichi. Tone analysis: Moderate distress. ]_

“Is he going to be okay?”

_[ Voice recognition: Azumane Asahi. Tone analysis: Moderate distress. ]_

“Suga is back online. However, due to the abrupt nature of the incident, his processes could take from several minutes to several days to reach full working capacity.”

_[ Voice recognition: Shiratorizawa Enhanced Mainframe Intelligence, ‘S.E.M.I.’. Tone analysis: Synthetic. ]_

“Suga, can you hear us? How are you feeling?”

_Performance at 27.84%. Human equivalent to this feeling?_ “I’m fine, you two,” Suga reassured the voices he could hear, feeling some equivalent of regret that he didn’t have the energy to activate his cameras to see their faces. “Just a bit sluggish. I’ll be back in top shape in no time!”

“I advise against communicating until you are at a minimum of 48%.”

_But the distress in their voices is counterproductive to my recovery, Semi._ If the team was distressed, being incapable of assisting could cause negative repercussions on their systems. But Suga supposed that was something that made him… human, in his own way. To watch the people closest to him suffer hurt him as well; was that not a human sensation?

But the Shiratorizawa AI had a point; just as humans needed to rest while recovering, Suga needed to reserve his energy for his own recovery.

“I have done all that I can for Suga. The rest will take time. I suggest making a backup of his programming a priority in case of future incidents.”

“Thank you for all your work, Semi. Give Captain Ushijima my regards.”

“Will do. It was a pleasure working with you, Captain Sawamura. Farewell to the three of you.”

With a string of static-like sounds only Suga could hear, Semi was gone, leaving Suga to listen to Asahi and Daichi as his processes took their time rebooting.

“So he can hear us? Should we say something?” There was a familiar creak of Daichi’s bed before Asahi continued, a subtle teasing lilt in his voice. “I could get as sentimental as I want without him stopping me.”

The wheels of Daichi’s desk chair creaked as they rolled. “I’m pretty sure that counts as a form of torture.”

Their light laughter was a breath of life. _Good. I don’t need them moping._

“He has a backup, doesn’t he?”

“He does, but it’s at Nekoma, so he can only sync it up every few days.” Daichi’s chair’s wheels rolled, a pen clicked, something dull tapped on his desk. “He mentioned he’s working on a more convenient backup with Yaku-san.”

“Oh, I remember he mentioned that. Wouldn’t tell me more about it, though.”

“Same here. He insisted it was ‘too boring to talk about’.” The pen clicked again, papers shuffled, a datapad clattered as it met the desk. Suga didn’t need to analyze Daichi’s voice to know he was frustrated; the familiar exhale from his nose was sign enough. “Lucky for him that he’s resting then, because the next few days will be boring, too. I have to meet with Fukurodani to discuss the repairs in a few hours with Ukai-san, and then I’ll have a long day with Dateko tomorrow to talk about the attack and what Ennoshita found.”

“I wonder if we were attacked by the same group that attacked Johzenji. Maybe they shot us for helping them.”

“That’s a strong possibility. I’ll bring that up with Moniwa tomorrow.”

_[ Incoming transmission: Communicator identification number 0028237B72, Tanaka Ryuunosuke. ]_ “Captain, I still can’t find ‘im.”

A heavy pause settled over both the comm channel and the room - _Daichi and Asahi must be giving each other that look._ \- before Daichi replied. “He still has time before we’re expected to meet up.” But to the room alone, Daichi spoke, “I’m not sure Ennoshita would run off for so long without saying anything specific.”

“Well, wasn’t he locked up for a while? There could be something in the area he couldn’t take care of before,” Asahi offered, though he hardly sounded convinced of his own suggestion.

“I hope you’re right,” Daichi muttered to the room before opening his comm channel again. “He’s probably busy, that’s all.”

“Daichi-san, I’m telling ya, there was something off about him before he left.” Tanaka cursed under his breath, the comm barely picking it up. “Shit, I shouldn’t’ve just… I’m worried about him, alright? He ain’t answerin’ his comm. He’d at least do that, ya know?”

“You’re right,” Daichi conceded. The pen clinked against the desk before the creak of the chair echoed. “Alright. Asahi and I will help you look. Tell us where you haven’t checked yet.”

* * *

_Performance at 31.52%._ Not enough to talk yet, but enough to take a peek here and there from the camera pinned to Asahi’s jacket as he and Daichi weaved through the crowds along the sidewalk downtown.

_[ Scanning... Analyzing the area... ]_

_[ ...Nothing of interest detected. ]_

Suga shouldn't have been peeking; he should have saved whatever energy he could, let Asahi and Daichi look around and wait to hear from Tanaka elsewhere.

But Daichi and Asahi were too quiet.

It wasn't unusual for the two to let a comfortable silence settle over them, but this silence felt… stiff, the occasional comments and remarks growing less and less frequent until they stopped altogether.

_[ Scanning... Analyzing the area... ]_

_[ ...Nothing of interest detected. ]_

Every 36 minutes, Suga snuck a quick shot through the camera.

Every 36 minutes, their body language grew a little more concerning.

The first 36 minutes, they stood half a foot apart as they walked, their usual, comfortable distance. But 36 minutes later, he caught them standing closer, shoulder-to-shoulder and hands brushing against each other as their silence grew heavier.

Another 36 minutes and Asahi's hand was in Daichi’s, and the determination set in their faces from earlier had faded away.

_[ Scanning... Analyzing the area... ]_

_[ Point of interested detected. Communicator identification number 0028587G13, Ennoshita Chikara. ]_

_Performance at 38.07%, but this is an adequate exception._ “Ennoshita’s communicator is four yards to the northeast, 2 o’clock from your position. I’ll alert Tanaka.”

“I only see a- Please tell me he’s not in that trash can,” Asahi whimpered.

_Relax, goofball, sensing his communicator doesn't mean he's wearing it._ “I detect it lower. Check the ground first.” Suga turned on the camera to confirm his suspicions; Daichi bent down to pick up the communicator and leather wallet barely peeking out from under the garbage bin.

“The wallet’s Tanaka’s. Spent half a day looking for it when he lost it during last shore leave. You’d think after that he’d keep a better eye on it.” Daichi ran his thumb over the communicator, turning it in his hands as he inspected it. “It’s in nearly perfect condition. No blood or skin on it.”

“Then it probably wasn’t taken by force.” Asahi leaned against Daichi’s shoulder as the captain opened the wallet. “Anything in it?”

Daichi responded with a defeated sigh. “Empty. Someone took everything except for a piece of paper.” Carefully, Daichi pulled at the corner of the torn piece of paper sticking out from a fold. After a quick scan, Daichi squeezed his eyes closed tight. “It’s a note.”

Asahi took the note Daichi handed him with care, but Tanaka pushing through the crowd and ignoring their glares and curses pulled Asahi’s attention away. “Daichi-san! Did ya find anythin’ yet?”

“His communicator.”

“Just his comm?” Tanaka looked over the crowd frantically, head whipping left and right. “Where is he? I don’t feel ‘im, but he can’t be far, right? We gotta keep looking, we gotta-”

“Tanaka. Calm down," Daichi replied patiently, with a hint of pity. "I think he’s alright.”

_“Fuck,_ Daichi-san, you find just his comm, and you think that’s all-fucking-right?” Tanaka growled, snatching the comm from Daichi’s hand. “A guy doesn’t just drop his comm, that shit stays on your ear!”

_“Tanaka.”_ Daichi grabbed Tanaka by the shoulders firmly. “You said he was acting strangely before he left, right?”

_His abrupt silence indicates that’s relevant in an undesirable way._

“You found something else, didn’t ya?” Tanaka asked with another low growl.

Asahi fiddled with the torn page in his hand, bringing it up to the camera’s view and sucking in a breath as he read it for himself. It was mostly scribbles, five or six opening words that were scratched out in indecision. Two words alone remained intact.

> _I’m sorry_

“We found your wallet, Tanaka. It was empty except for this,” Daichi explained calmly as Asahi reluctantly handed the note over.

The paper wrinkled in Tanaka’s tight grip as his eyes scanned the scribbled apology. “This… This doesn’t mean shit, right? It’s a fucking joke, ain’t it?”

“Tanaka…”

Tanaka shoved at Daichi’s chest. “Don’t _‘Tanaka’_ me!” he shouted, turning the heads of the strangers passing by. “I knew he was actin’ weird, I knew he… This is bullshit, right?” There was a crack in his voice as he struggled through his words, choking on the anger fueling his denial. “It’s bullshit, right, Daichi-san?” he repeated, but there was no bite this time. There was only dismay as he bit his twitching lip, looking at Daichi through watery eyes as if the captain had a better truth for him to hear.

“We’re staying in Soren for at least a week,” Daichi stated quietly. “He knows where we are if he decides to come back.”

_That’s all we can do, Tanaka._ For once, Suga was grateful for his limitations; Daichi’s words were all any of them could provide other than empty promises. Suga could only run estimates, poor possibilities in numbers Tanaka wouldn’t want to hear.

“Shit,” Tanaka cursed under his breath, bringing the heel of his palm to his eye. He opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came to him, only a sharp inhale and a quiver to his chin before he turned away and vanished into the crowd.

Daichi sighed as he watched Tanaka’s retreat. “We should head back. I need to meet with Fukurodani soon.”

_Performance at 34.97%._

* * *

The bed softly creaked under Asahi’s weight as he lied on it, folding his hands over his chest and closing his eyes with a sigh.

_It’s been awhile since we were alone together._

Asahi wasn’t one for talking much, but that was fine; it had been an excellent exercise in analyzing humans’ body language when Suga moved in with him and Daichi, and they had plenty to do together besides talking.

Especially after the Cassardis massacre.

Suga found himself trying all sorts of ways to help Asahi with his depression when words weren’t enough. More often than not it resulted in distractions; they read books together (poetry about nature were Asahi’s favorites), they watched shows together (soap operas absorbed both of them in the lame suspense and gave Daichi plenty of fuel to tease them), and they played computer games against each other (Suga always won, but competition brought a light to Asahi’s dim eyes).

_That was when things between the three of us began to shift to something more._ As Asahi began to recover, none of them pulled away; Suga didn’t want to spend less time with Asahi when he no longer needed it. Daichi didn’t want to stop holding Asahi at night when he no longer quietly sobbed himself to sleep. Suga didn’t want to stop imagining what it would be like to be the one in Daichi’s arms.

When Asahi began traveling, disappearing without a word on a whim from time to time - _There’s a possibility Ennoshita just needs time to himself like Asahi did._ \- Suga and Daichi had their own time alone to grow closer as they waited patiently for Asahi to return. Days or weeks would go by before he’d return with the serene calm of the forest or tanned skin kissed by the beach’s sun, and Daichi and Suga would act as if he never left, their own way of saying ‘Take all the time you need’ that he always appreciated and never questioned.

The particular summer day that Asahi returned from one of his spontaneous trips was one Suga often replayed the recording for to himself. When Daichi opened the door, they found Asahi with his hair let down and dry from the ocean's water, his cheeks red and arms nearly burnt. Daichi kept it simple as always, greeting Asahi with a fond smile and a casual ‘Good timing, dinner’s almost ready,’ and Asahi returned the smile, leaning in to close the distance for their first kiss as if he had done it hundreds of times before.

When Asahi whispered “I missed you two,” in the direction of Suga’s console, that was when everything clicked; even if Suga could only watch, he knew that kiss was just as much his own. _The human equivalent for that feeling? Pure bliss._

Suga wished he could speak to Asahi lying on the bed now. _But he doesn’t need it. He knows I’m here._

As if he could read Suga’s thoughts, Asahi smiled at the ceiling, knowing Suga was watching. “I miss you, Suga.”

_I miss you too, you sap._

_Performance at 43.36%._

* * *

_Performance at 50.02%. Time to review the emergency footage._ Maybe with a little luck, and a lot of observation, he could find clues on who attacked. Or any clue at all about the missing infiltrator. _Let’s see what I missed._

_[ Switching to Deck 1, Command center camera. ]_

“Hinata, send a signal to Shiratorizawa and Dateko bases. Kageyama, do whatever you can to manage the power while we wait for a rescue.” Daichi’s commands, Daichi dismissing Ennoshita, Daichi floating to the bridge to strap himself to the copilot seat and putting on the oxygen mask. _He always appears calm._

Considering the way Daichi called out to Suga the moment he flickered away, he could assume scanning his vitals would have told a different story.

_[ Switching to Deck 2, Dining room camera. ]_

Ennoshita successfully reached his Connected despite Tanaka’s mid-air suspension, leaning in and… _Ah. The expected result, considering their mutual desires._ The kisses were far more than emergency Connected procedure, and Suga was compelled to watch as the gentle kisses grew firmer with each one. _I’ll review it for personal interest later._

_[ Switching to Deck 2, Hallway camera. ]_

Shimizu pulled a shaking Yachi into her arms, brushing her fingers through her hair and cooing reassurances before pulling her into her room. Kinoshita and Narita were in a similar panicked state, their hands shaking as they helped each other with their oxygen masks before hiding in Narita’s room. _It’s not uncommon for others to quit after an attack where they’re helpless to do more._

_But I wish I could have gotten to know them better before they left._

_[ Switching to Deck 2, Dining room camera. ]_

_They were holding each other so tightly._

_Why did Ennoshita leave after_ this?

_[ Switching to Deck 4, Engineering camera. ]_

Kageyama and Yamaguchi both looked flat-out ridiculous, light-up goggles, oxygen masks, and multiple belts hooked up to the wall to keep them from floating as they worked around the room. Kageyama was mostly silent as he worked, muttering something to Yamaguchi for help from time to time.

Yamaguchi was having more trouble as he worked through his nerves, dropping the occasional tool through shaky fingers and flailing to catch them before they floated away.

“Yamaguchi.”

The tech specialist turned to the source of the muffled voice to see Tsukishima on the other side of the hall window, holding onto the sill for stability.

“Ts-tsukki?”

“Why are you nervous? We’re safe right now. Is it because you think you can’t help this?” he asked plainly, his voice muffled through his mask. “This is what you went to school for.”

_I've met lesser virtual intelligences more comforting than Tsukishima._ Regardless, Tsukishima’s words were a medicine that cured Yamaguchi’s anxiety. “Thanks, Tsukki!” he chimed so brightly that Suga decided against over-analyzing anything other than the fact that it worked.

_[ Switching to Deck 4, Medical bay camera. ]_

“You ready, big guy?” Nishinoya was as casual as always. As if their ship hadn’t just gotten shot. As if he and his Connected weren’t about to kiss for the sake of an emergency. As if they didn’t just spend the past ten minutes struggling to put the med bay’s magnetic boot straps on so they could stay grounded.

“Y-yeah. Yeah. I think.” Asahi was almost nervous enough for the both of them, eyes wide as he frantically looked from wall to wall, as if he hadn’t had his own fair share of danger during his time as a soldier.

Nishinoya stomped over to Asahi, using his hands to physically lift his fake leg struggling with the weight of the heavy boot straps. “You’re worried about Suga, aren’t you?”

Asahi gulped as he nodded down at the doctor.

_He’s always worried,_ Suga told himself, though he appreciated Asahi’s concerns all the same.

Nishinoya reached up to pinch his cheeks, ignoring his yelps - _‘Ow, ow, Nishinoya!’_ \- as he pulled. “Kageyama said he’s fine. Daichi said the ship is fine. Stop worrying.”

“Ah’ll trahy,” Asahi murmured through his abused cheeks.

Nishinoya let go of Asahi’s cheeks, patting them before he grabbed his shirt. “C’mon, get down here.” Nishinoya tugged at the shirt and Asahi complied, letting Nishinoya give him a chaste kiss, sweet in its simplicity. “You know this’ll calm you down too, right? That’s why Daichi told you to come here instead of putting on a mask.”

“You’re right.” Asahi rested his forehead against Nishinoya’s, closing his eyes as he let out a deep exhale. “Thank you, Nishinoya.”

“You can thank me by telling me who’s a better kisser: me or Daichi?”

“I’m not answering that.”

Nishinoya laughed, giving Asahi another quick peck on the lips. _Their kisses feel friendly. That’s enjoyable to watch, too._ Not nearly as enjoyable as watching Asahi and Daichi, though. Or as watching the couple on deck two…

_[ Switching to Deck 2, Dining room camera. ]_

Tanaka’s and Ennoshita’s kisses grew more fervent, tight grips around each other and tangled legs as they continued to float, oblivious to anything else beyond them. They were completely absorbed in each other.

Suga continued to watch the two on fast-forward, the minutes on the video zooming by as the two refused to part.

_I can't see a single reason Ennoshita would leave. There must be a different factor that only Ennoshita knows._

_[ Switching to Deck 1, Bridge camera. ]_

“Captain, look! Is that Shiratorizawa? Their ship is huge!” If Hinata was nervous at all before, he seemed to forget fear at the sight of the dreadnought.

“That's them alright,” Daichi confirmed, bringing his hand to his comm. “Kageyama, deactivate the stealth systems and redirect some power back to the bridge.”

“Yes, sir.”

In a surprisingly short amount of time - _He really is a genius._ \- the bridge was lit by more than just the faint control panel lights. The extra monitor activated, swiftly linking a display from Shiratorizawa. “Captain Sawamura.”

“Captain Ushijima. You got here quicker than I anticipated,” Daichi replied to the man on the screen with olive eyes and unintentional scowl.

“It was an emergency situation. We can readily activate hyperdrive jumps in emergency situations,” Ushijima stated as plainly as his expression.

“...Right,” was about all Daichi could think to say back. “Our damage is external, but our power inside is limited and our AI is offline.”

A familiar face popped up behind the Shiratorizawa captain. “Ooh~? What's this? No Suga-kun today?” _Tendou. I'm fortunate I was offline for this so he couldn’t push my metaphorical buttons._

“That's what Captain Sawamura said, Lieutenant,” the Shiratorizawa captain stated plainly. _Ushijima and Tendou’s relationship is a peculiar example of ‘opposites attract’._ “I can link our AI to your ship to assist with KOUSHI. We're also redirecting some additional power to you now. We should have your ship ready to transport in 17 point 4 minutes.”

“That's… specific. Thank you for all of your help.”

Ushijima saluted before disconnecting just in time for the rest of the lights to turn on, followed by a cacophony of crashes as everything behind Daichi finally clattered back to the ground.

Daichi removed his mask, taking in a deep breath and rubbing his hands over his marked cheeks. “Guess it's time for a meeting.”

_[ Switching to Deck 2, Dining room camera. ]_

Gravity wasn't enough of a deterrent to stop the couple _still_ kissing, the floor their new location as they continued their activity and ignored the rest of the team walking by. They managed to break apart just long enough to talk to Semi before Tanaka leaned in again and-

_[ Shutting down video feed. ]_

He could review the recording again later. There was a more important issue waiting for him at the airlock.

_[ Arrival: Tanaka Ryuunosuke. Current time: 3:41 a.m. ]_

Analyzing his body language and considering the circumstances as Tanaka walked through the ship towards his room, Suga concluded that it could have been worse. Running his hand over his head, gaze mostly cast to the floor; he was troubled, but calm. _He’s known for rebounding quickly, but he’ll need some time before he’s at 100%, too._

_I should attempt a conversation to analyze his state further._ Besides, he hadn’t had the chance to talk freely all day. There was the possibility it could benefit them both.

“Tanaka~! Welcome back!”

“Suga?” Tanaka turned to blink at the hall intercom, the surprise enough to soften the frown etched across his face. “You sound good,” he commented, lacking his usual enthusiasm. “So you’re up and runnin’ again?”

“It’ll be a few days before I’m at full capacity. But I’m feeling better already!”

Tanaka stood between the doors to his and Ennoshita’s rooms, rapping his knuckles against the wall that took up the six-inch space between them before opening his door. “S’good. You take your time, Suga-san.”

_You too._ “Why were you out so late? This is a strange hour to come back.”

Tanaka pulled his shirt over his head, throwing it carelessly to the desk as he walked to his bed. “Had some thinkin’ to do.” Sitting on the edge of his bed, he worked on untying his boots before kicking them off haphazardly. “Hey, Suga-san?”

_[ Transferring to personal room intercom. ]_ “What is it, Tanaka?”

“What do you think?” Tanaka stared at one boot that landed on its side dead center of the room. “Give it to me straight. Think he's comin’ back?”

_Tone analysis: Neutral. He wants honesty, not pity._ “I don't know about anything that happened with him once the ship landed. I can't give a proper hypothesis without knowing all of the details.”

“Alright. When we landed,” he pulled off sock one and successfully flung it on top of the clothes pile on the desk, “we were still kissin’. Daichi yelled at us to ‘come up for air’.” He smiled at the memory as he worked on pulling off sock two. “We walked outside an’ we watched Shiratorizawa take off. That's when we saw Narita and Kinoshita.” The smile was casually forgotten as he focused on tossing sock two to the pile. It hit the edge of the desk before falling to the floor, taking a shirt down with it. “They said they were leavin’ cause they were scared. He hugged ‘em goodbye. Then we went inside the headquarters. And uh, started kissin’ again.”

“Inside the headquarters?!”

“In the lobby,” he replied with a hint of a pride, though it quickly faded. “Couldn't get enough of him, ya know? But that's when he started acting weird.”

“Weird how?”

“He was bein’, I dunno… nice? Not that he ain't nice, but he started callin’ me ‘incredible’ and ‘amazing’ outta nowhere. Said some ‘no matter what happens’ garbage. He ain't the type to say stuff like that suddenly for no reason.”

"You're right, that is strange for him." _Particularly due to the nature of their banter. The emphasis on finality, 'no matter what happens', is also cause for concern._ "He may have meant it as a farewell."

“So that was his goodbye, huh?” Tanaka pondered aloud, though ‘aloud’ was questionable; for Tanaka, it was closer to a whisper.

_[ Updating... Avoiding words related to ‘farewell’ recommended. ]_ “Also his way of letting you know you weren’t to blame for his leaving.”

Tanaka flopped backward on the bed, feet still planted on the floor. “Guess that answers the ‘coming back or not’ question.”

“Not necessarily. Whether he returns or not predominantly depends on his motivation for leaving.” Suga processed the new information, considering the potential outcomes from the full picture. "I have three ideas. The first and least likely is that he was planning to leave for a while. The attack forcing us to land soon after removing his shackles gave him the opportunity. It would explain why he acted as naturally as he did until the moments before he left."

“If he wanted to leave, why didn't he just say so?” Tanaka muttered, folding his arms under his head as he stared up at the ceiling. “Woulda liked a warning before all that kissin’.”

“He’s still a prisoner indebted to work for Karasuno Operations for seven years. Leaving broke that agreement, so he's technically an escaped criminal now. If he told you his plan to leave, you'd be forced to choose between reporting him or becoming an accomplice. Whether he meant to or not, he spared you that dilemma."

“Lucky me,” Tanaka huffed sarcastically, bouncing one leg on the floor from the ball of his foot. “Why’d he steal my wallet, then? He coulda just asked for money. Did he think it would tip me off?”

“I don’t have his full case file, but I do remember pickpocketing mentioned as one of his escape methods. He likely stole several more and bought multiple tickets from each to throw off his path.”

“Always somethin’ clever with him,” Tanaka sighed, propping the bouncing leg up on the edge of the bed only for it to continue bobbing on its heel. “So, what’s it mean if he decided to leave from the start? Would he come back?”

“He probably wouldn’t return because any attachments he made weren’t enough to stop him, or have him return by now at the very least. But as I said, that’s the weakest possibility. He grew attached to the crew. And to you especially. That’s why I think the second possibility is most likely; he probably ran because he was scared. Narita and Kinoshita leaving may have even spurred the idea that he’d rather be on the run than put in a situation like the attack again.”

“That ain’t right, Suga-san. He did dangerous crap before on missions.”

“During missions, he had more control over the situation. Even if the first mission with the slavers could have resulted in death the same as the ship attack could, having the option to stay and help the slaves would have made the situation less terrifying to him.”

“I don’t get it.” Tanaka sat up to kick at the blanket before settling across the bed. “Why get more worked up over what you can’t control? That’d be like avoidin’ cars for the rest of his life cause he can’t control other drivers.”

“Humans fear different things for different reasons.” _And he may have feared something else._ “If he left because he was scared of the attack, there’s a better chance he’ll come back once he’s had time to consider if that fear is enough to keep him away from you and the team.”

“Well, here’s hopin’ you’re right that’s it, then.” Tanaka hmph’d as he pulled the blanket up to his chest. “What’s your third idea?”

Suga considered lying, declaring it an error and saying that was it, the two possibilities and no more. _He wanted honesty…_ “The third option is that it’s unintentionally your fault. He’s mentioned commitment issues before. He’s rejected all permanent living situations in his life. It may be that he cares about you to a point that terrifies him.”

“So you’re sayin’ he ran ‘cause he likes me too much and doesn’t wanna settle down?”

“Essentially.”

“Damn it, Chikara, why do you gotta complicate everything?” Tanaka groaned to himself. “So what’s that mean, Suga-san? Would he come back?”

“I don’t know. That depends entirely on him. Love is unpredictable.” Romantic love wasn’t a concept he could analyze, and oh, how he’d tried. What made an individual desire someone specific in such a way? What made him desire others in that way, what was it about the idea of losing Asahi and Daichi that caused his smaller processes to crash?

Suga watched the furrow in Tanaka’s brow grow heavier, wishing he could reach out and smooth it out for him, pat him on the shoulder or hug him or _something._ _Tanaka prefers physical comforts, and all I can offer is words._ “There were times Asahi would leave without a warning for days or weeks. He needed time alone to sort out his thoughts.”

“And you guys would just let ‘im come back? You wouldn’t give ‘im trouble for it?”

_“I_ wanted to give him trouble!” Suga confessed with a light laugh. “He made me worried! But Daichi insisted on giving him time. He never doubted Asahi would be back.” _Daichi was right. Questioning him would have only pushed him away._ But those circumstances were different to what Tanaka and Ennoshita were facing now; after Asahi kissed Daichi, he never left without a word again. “I don’t know if Ennoshita will be back. And you don’t need to give him the patience Daichi gave Asahi. You owe him nothing. But maybe he just needs time like Asahi did.”

Tanaka’s response after a few moments of silence was quiet compared to his usual boisterous self. “If he has doubts, it’s better he’s gone. I mean,” Tanaka scratched the side of his neck as he searched for the right words, “if being here isn’t his choice, his heart won’t be into it, ya know? I don’t want that. He’s gotta be here cause he wants to be.”

“That’s a mature outlook.”

“Don’t get me wrong. I want ‘im here with me,” Tanaka replied in little more than a whisper. “I’m gonna try to sleep. Good night, Suga-san.”

“Good night, Tanaka. I’m here if you need anything.”

* * *

_Performance at 64.57%_

“Is that dried blood sample enough?”

“Let’s hope so.” Detective Moniwa carefully placed the satchel in question into a clear bag. “For a blood sample this size, we need to narrow the suspects down to at least one planet first. One or two colonies would be even better. The tripwire is a better lead right now.”

“Glad we have something to work with, at least.” Daichi folded his arms across his chest, leaning his side against the command center table as he watched the Dateko detective inspect the metal shards.

“Any ideas on who did this or why?” Suga asked, regretful he couldn’t use his hologram when Moniwa temporarily looked confused at the new voice.

“Oh, Suga-san! Sorry, I should have greeted you earlier.” Moniwa smiled at the direction of the intercom before he looked back down at the pieces on the table. He ran his latex covered fingers over one side of the steel and the numbers etched in it. “Right now, we’re under the assumption that whoever attacked Johzenji attacked you for helping them. Or they knew you had this evidence that could lead to them.” He pulled a camera from his jacket pocket to snap a picture of the marks. “Close to no one knows about this ship yet. Your only enemies are dead or jailed, so there’s not much in the way of motives. But Johzenji has plenty of enemies. They likely shot you for helping Johzenji not knowing you’re military affiliated.” Moniwa leaned over the table to snap a few more pictures of each piece, taking note of any details his trained eye caught.

“So they don’t know that they bit off more than they can chew,” Daichi remarked as his gaze wandered from the camera to the footsteps coming their way; Tanaka shuffled in with a yawn, walking over to Daichi and dropping his forehead on Daichi’s shoulder. Daichi returned the contact, patting Tanaka on the back. “You look like hell, Tanaka. Did you sleep?”

“Not a wink, Cap’n,” he murmured into Daichi’s shoulder.

“Well, you’ll have plenty of time to rest.” Moniwa straightened up as he pocketed the camera. “Unfortunately, we need to look at the damage before Fukurodani can start repairs. There’s a chance we can determine the type of ship from the marks it left.”

“We can’t leave anyways. We’re short a few people,” Daichi replied, and Tanaka mumbled something incoherently as he nudged closer against Daichi. “That reminds me. I’m obligated to inform you that we’ve had an escape.”

Moniwa raised his eyebrow at the two. “An escape? Did you have prisoners besides- Oh no.” Moniwa pinched his eyes shut. “Don’t tell me Ghost got away.”

Daichi gave a sympathetic smile as he wrapped his arm around the sleepy Tanaka. “Afraid so.”

“I’ll let Futakuchi know,” Moniwa replied with a drawn out sigh. “He’ll probably be excited about it. He’s been complaining all year that every case bores him. We can start with-”

“Wait. Do ya need to chase him?” Tanaka interrupted, turning his head to face the detective.

Confusion raising his eyebrows almost to his hairline, Moniwa looked to Daichi for clarification. When Daichi shrugged, Moniwa continued. “He may not be violent, but he's still a threat. He knows valuable information about all sorts of organizations, including some of Karasuno's now."

"Can't you give ‘im time or something to see if he comes back?"

Moniwa shook his head. "Afraid not. If we waste time, we'll lose any potential leads."

"Sorry, Tanaka." Daichi rubbed Tanaka's back as he nodded to the Moniwa. "Thank you, Detective. We shouldn't have let him out of our sights."

The detective returned Daichi’s smile before he set to putting the steel shards into evidence bags with care. “Thank you for trying to spare us another Ghost chase. Not that I like the idea of a criminal on the loose, but from what I’ve seen, he’s not a bad guy. I’d rather spend our time hunting for violent people like the ones that attacked you.” With the evidence packed away, he bowed his head to Daichi and Tanaka. “I’ll be back with answers as soon as we have them on either case.”

“Good luck, Detective.”

With the familiar whoosh and click of the airlock door, the detective was gone, leaving Suga with Daichi and Tanaka. “Tanaka, you should get some rest.”

“I ain’t tired,” Tanaka grumbled back, punctuated with a yawn.

Daichi pat him on the back a final time before gently pushing him away. “Go sleep, Tanaka.”

“Fine, Dad,” Tanaka teased, though his amused smile fell just short of his eyes as he turned to walk away.

“Call me ‘Dad’ again, and I’ll send you to time-out in the airlock.”

Tanaka shot up straight, giving a quick salute before turning so quickly he nearly stumbled.

Daichi shook his head as he watched Tanaka’s hurried retreat. “Suga, keep an eye on him.”

“Will do, Daichi.”

_If only keeping an eye on him was enough to help._ Suga watched as Tanaka stared at the ceiling for three hours and 56 minutes before finally giving up and getting back on his feet, leaving the ship until long past midnight.

_Performance at 62.13%._

* * *

Three days.

_Performance at 96.78%._

Three days, and Ennoshita was still gone.

Three days, and Dateko along with Fukurodani and Nekoma began investigating the damage to the ship, looking for any clues to point them in a direction to start.

Three days, and Tanaka still hadn’t slept beyond a few 15-minute naps. Each night he stayed out till past midnight - _Just walkin’ and thinkin’,_ he’d tell Suga - until he dragged his tired feet back to the ship, pausing in front of Ennoshita’s door before plopping in his own bed to stare at the ceiling until the sun rose.

On the fourth morning, Nishinoya had had enough. “Here.” He used a little too much force as he slammed the small orange bottle in front of Tanaka half-asleep at the dining room table before turning to the kitchen counter.

“‘Here’ what?” Tanaka mumbled back, rubbing his eyes before he reached for the orange plastic.

Nishinoya walked back over to the table, placing a glass of water with a bit more care in front of his friend. “Sleeping pills. Take two. Now.”

Tanaka turned the bottle over in his hand, squinting at the print on the white label. “But it’s eight in the mornin’.”

Nishinoya folded his arms in front of his chest, fixing Tanaka a determined glare. “Don’t care. Take ‘em or I’ll knock you out myself.”

Tanaka mirrored the glare as he popped the cap on the bottle and swallowed two pills dry, sticking his tongue out after to show they were gone. “Happy now?”

“You’re bitchy when you’re tired. C’mon, get up.” Nishinoya pushed at Tanaka’s bare back. “Go to bed. Don’t make me drag your ass there and tuck you in.”

“I’m going, I’m going, _Mom.”_ Tanaka flashed him a tired smirk as he lazily climbed out of the chair. “Will you tell me a bedtime story?”

“Once upon a time, Doctor Nishinoya had to kick Ryuu’s ass cause he wouldn’t-”

“Alright, alright! I’m gone!” he laughed lightly, turning one last time towards his friend. “Thanks, man.”

“You can thank me by getting some sleep for a few hours. I have more of these to help you sleep tonight, too.”

Tanaka trudged down the hall, one heavy foot in front of the other before indulging in his habit of pausing in front of Ennoshita’s door. He placed his hand beside it and waited as if Ennoshita would open it at any moment and greet him like nothing had happened, nothing was wrong, life could go on as it was. “Oi, Suga-san.”

“Yes, Tanaka?”

“Could ya open his door?”

Suga slid the door open, and Tanaka hesitated outside for a moment before taking his first step inside.

He glanced around the untouched room as he passed through, each step careful as if anything more could startle the objects out of their places. Not that there was much in the room to startle; it looked as if no one had ever lived in it. The laptop on the desk was left open, the cursor sitting idly to the side of the screen. The box from Shimizu beside it lay closed, center perfectly amongst the free space. A dresser drawer was left ajar for someone to peek inside and see the nothing Ennoshita kept for himself.

And the bed was perfectly made as if no one had slept it in. Tanaka pulled the blanket down halfway, pausing with the blanket in hand as he weighed his options before climbing in. He curled up on his side, pulling the blanket up to his shoulder, holding the fabric tightly in hand. “Shut the door, Suga-san.”

Suga complied, shutting the door and closing Tanaka out of view. _Please come back soon, Ennoshita._

_Performance at 91.3%_

* * *

_[ Incoming audio transmission: Yaku Morisuke, Nekoma Technologies. ]_

“Hey, Suga! How are you feeling today?”

_Performance at 100%. Human equivalent to this feeling?_ “I’m in top shape today, Morisuke! Systems fully operational!”

“Perfect, because I’m about to make your day even better. Your backup is ready!”

“Can we perform the installation today?! I want it ready as soon as possible!!”

“I figured as much. I cleared my schedule for the day. I’m as excited as you are, to be honest.”

“I’ll have Daichi and Asahi transfer me over!”

It was a simple process to ‘send’ him over, no different from emailing someone a file attachment. The difficult part was reassuring both Daichi and Asahi - for once, Daichi was more worried than their timid partner - that it was perfectly safe for him. Suga wouldn’t be able to respond to them on the ship for the several days his primary consciousness would be at Nekoma, but it was necessary to properly install the backup platform. _A second ‘core’ in case the main breaks down - with the two of them, I won’t need to fear permanent damage._

The moment he ‘arrived’ at Nekoma, he was greeted by Yaku waving at the camera. “Welcome to my office, Suga!”

His assistant towering behind him mimicked the motion with an equally bright smile. “Hi, Suga-san!!”

“Hi, Lev! I hear you’ve been helping with the project these past few months. Is that why it was completed early?”

“Nope, I barely did anything!” he exclaimed proudly. “It was all Yaku-san! When he gets excited, he stays late every day! He really put his heart into this!”

“Eheh, it’s not- I really just-” Yaku scratched the back of his neck, the tips of his ears as red as his shirt peeking beneath his labcoat. He cleared his throat awkwardly, attempting to stand straight and regain his composure. “Right, let’s get this underway. Lev, bring it out. _Carefully.”_

With an enthusiastic salute, Lev disappeared through a door behind the mess of tables before wheeling in a box that reached past his chin over to the camera.

“Are you ready, Suga?”

“Quit teasing, Morisuke! You know I’ve been ready for years now!”

Yaku’s proud smirk stretched across his face as he opened the door to the box, revealing Suga’s ‘backup’ inside. “What do you think?”

“I think…” AI’s weren’t supposed to feel dumbstruck, or at a loss for words, but at that moment all processes stopped beyond taking in the new platform before him. Silver hair like his late mother’s, a beauty mark below the left eye to mirror hers, her slender build and brown eyes… “It’s perfect, Morisuke,” Suga whispered in awe. Every detail was painstakingly plotted over with Yaku for the past thirteen months, from the shape of the lips to the delicate wrists. “How long would it take to install me in it?”

“It could take anywhere from two hours to two days. It’s mostly calibrations and tests to make sure everything’s operating properly.” Yaku snatched the back of the retreating assistant by the labcoat. “Hope you’re ready for some long hours ahead, Lev.”

Suga let out the most genuine laugh he had ever felt - a laugh at their antics, a laugh at Lev’s defeated expression, a laugh of joy as he stared at the robot body he would finally inhabit.

A body to help around the ship with physical repairs.

A body to walk around on his own two feet and experience the world from his own perspective.

A body to finally hold Daichi and Asahi with.

* * *

Six hours and 32 minutes of calibrations, checking each and every body part to ensure they moved as intended. _Watching human motions and reenacting them are two entirely different concepts._ Two hours and twelve minutes of ‘feeling’ tests, feeling pressure and heat, even more precise than the artificial limbs Yaku created for Tanaka and Nishinoya. Exactly seven hours of rest for the other two before they continued - _Morisuke is strict with poor Lev._ Seven hours spent alone, practicing to sync his movements. Five hours and 43 minutes ensuring all the extra features worked - cameras, radars, scanners, all the tools he had at his disposal on the ship. _I may not be human, but I’ll use the differences to our advantage._

One hour and five minutes spent realizing why humans paced nervously when they were waiting for something before Daichi and Asahi finally walked through the door.

_I feel short in comparison._ He’d seen them from all angles before from the various cameras, but to see them like this, as a person… _They’re huge compared to Morisuke. Compared to Lev, too, even if he’s taller._ They were broad, tall, handsome, and wonderfully oblivious to the whole scheme.

Suga smiled to himself - a wonderful new feeling - as he watched the two looking around the various bits of tech strewn about the office, wondering which one was their husband.

“You two made it!” Yaku exclaimed, forcefully shoving Lev out the door they came through before he could open his mouth.

“Well, Suga called,” Daichi replied as he watched the abuse on the gangly assistant with a raised eyebrow. His eyes wandered over to the ‘stranger’ in the room, polite as ever as he held his hand out for an introduction. “I don’t believe we’ve met. I’m Captain Sawamura.”

Suga reached out to meet the handshake - the firm grip, the warm fingers clasped around his hand, Daichi’s hand finally in his… After watching Daichi and Asahi’s fond smiles just for him for so long, his own came naturally. “I’m Sugawara Koushi, your second-in-command.”

Daichi and Asahi’s reactions unfolding before his literal eyes was an experience Suga would never forget. The slow part of Daichi’s lips as his mouth fell open, the dilation of Asahi’s eyes, Daichi taking a step closer as Asahi stood stunned.

Daichi’s hand slipped from the handshake to reach up and stroke his cheek. “Suga?” he whispered in awe as his thumb brushed across Suga’s cheekbone and his fingertips dipped into his hair.

Suga brought his hand up to Daichi’s. “Nice to meet you, Captain.”

Daichi’s smile was brighter than Suga had ever seen as he brought his second hand to Suga’s other cheek, leaning closer to press their foreheads together. “Suga, I can’t believe…”

“Are you going to kiss me or not, you doof?”

Every little detail of Daichi’s kiss was worth playing on repeat for the rest of his life; the breathy laugh against his lips, the tilt of his head as he leaned closer, the hands on his cheeks as Daichi closed the distance and pressed their lips together in Suga’s own kiss to feel for himself. _To think I was satisfied with just watching._

Pulling away was torturous, but he had another husband to kiss, one that must have lost his patience because he hardly gave Daichi the chance to step away before cupping Suga’s jaw with both hands. Asahi’s kiss was rougher, a whimper against Suga’s lips before he broke the kiss to peer into Suga’s eyes.

“Hey now, Asahi. Don’t keep him all to yourself,” Daichi teased, wrapping his arms around the both of them to press their foreheads together.

Suga was finally holding the both of them, was finally _complete._

_Performance at 200%._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Asahi, you kissed three people this chapter. Just thought you should know. Also rip me, tried to use a diff font for Suga's 'thoughts' but Ao3 wouldn't let me.
> 
> I wanted to write a one-shot of Asahi going on spontaneous trips, and Daichi always waiting patiently for him to return, showing he cares in the way that he's the solid foundation Asahi can always depend on. Instead it slipped itself in this chapter, lmao. But the song ["Melissa" by the Allman Brothers](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pwbowi-8Yoo) is what comes to mind when I think about it. 
> 
> Also, ["When You Sleep" by Mary Lambert](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tac81bRvfC4) popped on my playlist when I was writing Tanaka climing into Ennoshita's bed, so I put it on repeat and now I'm dead inside. :)  
> 


	9. stages

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tanaka kept his mouth shut, for once. _I still ain’t sure about this. It doesn’t feel right._ “I’ll think on it.”
> 
> “Well, don’t think on it for too long.” Futakuchi made his way to the door, not bothering to turn back while getting in the last word. “I hear solitary confinement drives people crazy.”
> 
> With the detective gone, Tanaka was left alone with a choice, a phone number, and the ashes of his anger after the fire was doused by fear. _Damn it, Chikara. Come back soon while you still can._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings for this chapter: A faked suicide is mentioned in vague detail. If you wanna skip, skip the paragraph starting with "Another page, another story he only knew"
> 
> Word count: 6965  
> [Ruelle - Ghost](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzaTDSmS4ko)

Three weeks.

“How are you still in the ship like before if you have a body now, Suga-san?”

Three weeks, and the ship was almost ready for take-off.

“Think of it like having the same program open on two different computers, Hinata.”

Three weeks, and Ennoshita wasn’t back yet.

But he had to be back any day now. Maybe they could wait a few extra days before leaving. Just in case.

“So there’s two of you?!”

“Ha, not quite. I’m affected by whatever happens on both the ship and my physical platform. It’s better to say… I’m playing the same game from two different controllers!”

Three weeks, and sure, he should be back any day now. But it was getting a little harder to hold out hope when Tanaka had heard nothing from him - nothing beyond the sliver of paper he tossed into the trash. That bullshit note meant nothing. This ship was where Ennoshita was meant to be. He was born to infiltrate for them, to be a hero and help others. His past as a thief was just to guide him to where he needed to be, to the ship and in his Connected’s arms. _So why did he leave? Why ain’t he-_

“Senpai? Are you alright?”

Three weeks, and even his cute kouhai calling him ‘senpai’ wasn’t enough to stir any genuine giddiness within him. Hinata and Suga’s holographic doll sitting on the cockpit dashboard looked his way, both heads tilted in concern. “You zoned out again!”

The frustration bubbled as Tanaka forced another weak grin. The fake smiles were taking more effort with every curl of his lips, the motion becoming a tedious chore. “Just a bit tired.” _And a bit pissed._

Three weeks, and he was getting sick of it all. He was sick of the sympathetic looks cast in his direction whenever he said Ennoshita was coming back. He was sick of not knowing if Ennoshita was safe. He was sick of asking Suga if he’d heard something, anything at all from either Ennoshita or Dateko about their Ghost hunt. He was sick of Ennoshita not thinking about _he_ felt, damn it.

And he was so damn sick of everyone asking if he was alright, even if they meant well. “I’m gonna get some fresh air.” He said the words with a little too much bite, rose to his feet a little too quickly when he got out of his chair, and there was that worried look again from Hinata. Even Suga’s faceless doll radiated pity with the way it sat silently, watching him with its head still tilted. _I gotta get out of here before I snap at someone who did no wrong._ “I’ll see ya later.”

A walk through the city wouldn’t be enough to make the bullshit go away, wouldn’t be enough to ease the creeping irritation. But it would at least be a distraction. It had become a routine; spend the day away, and give fate a chance to fix things while he was gone. One day he’d come back from a walk, and Ennoshita would be there. _And when that happens, I’ll give him a piece of my mind._

* * *

He knew Ennoshita wasn’t there when he returned to the ship. He didn’t feel him, couldn’t sense him anywhere. And he hadn’t meant to walk to Ennoshita’s room for the night - it had become a habit, his feet carrying him without his thoughts guiding them.

He knew Ennoshita couldn’t be there, knew the person sitting in Ennoshita’s chair couldn’t be him, but... but it _had_ to be him. Who else would be slouched over in Ennoshita's chair, watching Ennoshita's laptop, with that familiar bob of hair waiting for Tanaka's fingers to brush through...

Tanaka's heart skipped a beat in anticipation as he stepped closer, Ennoshita spinning in his chair-

But the face of a stranger greeted him, and with it a cold chill that numbed his spine. “You’re Tanaka, right?”

His hair might have been styled similar to Ennoshita’s, but there was no mistaking the man in the white Dateko jacket for his missing Connected. “Who’s askin’?” Tanaka asked back with a bit of a growl, not enough fucks left to hold back his annoyance. _That seat’s taken, asshole._

The stranger jut out his lower lip, pouting before he spoke - it was hard to tell if he was kidding or not from his tone. “You’re supposed to ask ‘How did you know my name?’ so I could say some catchphrase like ‘A good detective knows everything’.”

“Fine. I’ll play your damn game. How do you know my name?”

“Too late now. You ruined my witty retort.”

“Tell me or I’ll throw your ass out.”

The detective blinked at Tanaka, unfazed by his tired threat. “I’ll show you how I know your name _and_ what crawled up your ass,” he replied far too casually as he spun in the chair that wasn’t his. Tapping on Ennoshita’s laptop, a video resumed, the familiar lights and smoke of Johzenji’s nightclub dancing across the screen. “I’m Detective Futakuchi. I’m in charge of the Ghost case. I was hoping I could find some sort of clue of his whereabouts in his room, and figured his laptop would be a goldmine.”

_In charge of finding Chikara?_ Maybe Tanaka could deal with this jackass for a little while longer if it meant they could find Ennoshita, if he could at least know if he was safe. _Just a clue that he’s okay, let him come back on his own._

_If he comes back._

“Well, how about it, then? Didja find anythin’?”

“Nothing. Only a renewed hatred for Seijou.” Futakuchi flicked at the screen to zoom in on the bartender smiling away at the patrons. “We couldn’t get anything from Yahaba since we have no evidence Seijou exists. He played dumb and made us look like idiots. We couldn’t hold him for more than a day.” The detective didn’t spare a glance as Tanaka leaned against the wall beside the desk, too absorbed in his bitching about something Tanaka didn’t ask about. “He laughed at us when we let him go. _Laughed._ Told me ‘good luck on your fairy tale quest’.”

“I don’t give a damn about Seijou.” _Especially not about Chikara’s ex._

Futakuchi hummed as he tapped on the screen again, skipping ahead to a view of the comm room’s entryway, the contact camera Tanaka had worn that day focused on Ennoshita. “That’s right. What you ‘give a damn about’ is Ghost.” The volume was too low to hear their conversation, and hell if Tanaka could remember what they were talking about, but he could remember the warmth coiling in his chest when Ennoshita watched him with those gorgeous eyes. Seeing it again on the screen now... Ennoshita stepping back just enough for the dark eyes to scan Tanaka’s face, the briefest pause when they focused on his lips, the lull in Ennoshita’s words when their eyes met again - it _hurt_ now, hurt to see him again, hurt to see Ennoshita looking at Tanaka the way Tanaka looked at him, even if for a short moment.

_Why the hell did he leave me?_ It was wood on the fire of his growing fury, the tired rage beginning to course through his veins.

A low whistle dragged Tanaka from his thoughts, a rope pulling him away before they spiralled ever downwards. “I was right. You do have it bad. Could see it clear as day in that video.” Futakuchi snapped the laptop shut and kicked his feet up onto the desk. “I can find him, but it won’t be easy. I’ll take all the help I can get.”

_I wanna find him. I wanna know he’s safe, even if he’s an asshole, but…_ “Don’tcha have someone better to chase? Chikara’s harmless.” _If he doesn’t come back on his own terms, then what good is it to see him again other than knowing he’s alive?_

“Harmless?” Futakuchi scoffed, and damn, he just kept rubbing Tanaka the wrong way. “You _do_ realize he knows military secrets, right? He’s lucky that Takeda jumped through a lot of hoops to get permission to recruit him because he was going to be tried for treason.”

_Treason?!_ Sure, he knew some important stuff that he shouldn’t have, but… “But he ain’t violent. He didn’t kill anybody. Don’tcha think ‘treason’ is overkill?”

“Alright, sure. He's not violent. Personally. But he sold military secrets to Seijou. Those secrets in the wrong hands could spill a lot more blood than one act of violence.” Futakuchi’s smug grin was hitting all sorts of nerves. “Which loops back to having no evidence Seijou exists, so we couldn’t use it against him. The only reason Shiratorizawa let Takeda take Ghost was because he told us all he knew about Seijou, even if it meant we could use it against him. Big risk, since he knew close to nothing. But he took it because he seemed repentant.”

“‘Course he did. Chikara’s a good guy. Waste of time hunting him down.”

“Yeah, a real outstanding citizen,” the detective replied, and only hell knew why he sounded so pleased with himself. The detective reached into his jacket, pulling out a few cards held together by a rubber band and tossing the stack over. “We found your ID and bank card that your loverboy stole.”

Tanaka bit the inside of his cheek as he caught the cards, only sparing his driver’s license on the top a glance.

Futakuchi, unfortunately, took Tanaka’s silence as a cue to keep talking. “One of his escape tactics. He steals a bunch of wallets, buys a few tickets to different places from each, then throws the cards into different ships to make us think he dropped one in whatever ship he took. It’s working against him this time, though. We know he’s never left an ID on a ship he’s really taken before. Narrows down the options to the ships we found nothing in.”

Tanaka ran his index finger around the edge of the small card stack. “He’s clever, right? That’s why he gave ya so much trouble before.”

Futakuchi’s grin remained, but it seemed to dim at the reminder. “Only because he had a head start.”

“You sure that underestimatin’ him’s a good idea? What if he knows you’re thinkin’ that and left one on the ship he took ‘cause of it? He ain’t gonna use all the same tricks as last time if they failed him before.”

The heavy pause in the detective’s cocky demeanor made the infuriating past few minutes completely worth it; his smug grin dropping fueled Tanaka’s own. “He wouldn’t,” Futakuchi snapped back with an edge of disbelief. After another pause spent glaring at Tanaka as the wheels turned in the detective’s head, Futakuchi cursed under his breath and fished his phone from an inside jacket pocket. “Sakunami, broaden the search to the ships we found IDs in. … ...Yeah, I’m sure.” When he hung up, he narrowed his eyes at Tanaka. “I don’t know why you’re acting so proud. He’s a criminal. He _stole your wallet.”_

Tanaka shrugged, content with Futakuchi’s annoyance. “My Connected’s good at what he does.”

“How about instead of bragging, you help me out?” The detective folded his arms in front of his chest, casually leaning back in the chair as if he owned it. “I don’t think you realize the deep shit he’s in right now. If Shiratorizawa thinks he sold any of your information, when we _do_ find him, they’re not going to go easy on him again. The sooner we find him, the less they’ll suspect he had time to do anything dubious. If we catch him quickly enough, they may even let him back on the team.”

_Back on the team…_ Tanaka had thought about a lot of things the past three weeks - _Where is Chikara, Is he safe, Why did he leave, What is he thinking about, Is he thinking about me,_ \- but not once did he consider any outcome other than Ennoshita coming back to the team. It was where he belonged, if he would just realize it; how could it end any other way? “What happens if they don’t let ‘im back on the team?”

Tanaka found himself missing Futakuchi’s smug grin compared to his response devoid of any jest. “If he’s lucky? Solitary confinement for a long time.”

_Solitary confinement's as lucky as getting hit by a car instead of a truck._ Tanaka didn’t ask what the other possibilities were. _I don’t wanna force him to come back if he ain’t ready, but these punishments…_ “Let’s pretend I do wanna help ya. What the hell could I even do?”

The detective rose to his feet, reaching inside his jacket again. “For now, just come to my office for questions. Between my knowledge of his tactics and your knowledge about his personality and motives, we may be able to track him down sooner.” He pulled a business card from his jacket, handing the white card with its simple print to Tanaka. “Call me later and we can schedule a questioning. I’m going to check the transport station cameras again in case I missed anything relevant.”

_I could help with that. Bet I could spot him in a crowd easy even without feelin’ his heartbeat._ Tanaka kept his mouth shut, for once. _I ain’t sure about this. It doesn’t feel right._ “I’ll think on it.”

“Well, don’t think on it for too long.” Futakuchi made his way to the door, not bothering to turn back while getting in the last word. “I hear solitary confinement drives people crazy.”

With the detective gone, Tanaka was left alone with a choice, a phone number, and the ashes of his anger after the fire was doused by fear. _Damn it, Chikara. Come back soon while you still can._

* * *

Tanaka was working with the enemy.

"Hope you like caffeine, 'cause we've got a lot of ground to cover and not enough time." With one hand, the detective placed the mug of coffee on the desk in front of Tanaka, and with the other, he dropped a small hoard of sugar and creamer packets.

Tanaka was bargaining with the devil, trading his soul for the safety of a man who wanted nothing to do with him. _I feel like a traitor._

_But I'd rather him be safe. If the price is his hatred, I'll pay it all the same._

Tanaka reached for three, four sugar packets, hesitating over a fifth before stealing a peek across the desk at Futakuchi - he couldn't have a guy judging him for his sweet tooth.

But Futakuchi was pouring sugar straight from a jar into his cup. _Is there any coffee there or is he just drinkin’ a cup of sugar?_ “We’ll start with standard procedure questions. Did he mention any places of interest at any time? Anywhere at all?”

_Anywhere at all…_ Tanaka stared at his mug as he stirred, trying to think of some place, any place Ennoshita mentioned.

_Anywhere at all..._

“Nothin’.”

“Any mentions of friends beyond Yahaba and the other two that left the ship?”

_Any friends…_

“Nothin’.”

The questions continued, and with each one, Tanaka realized more and more how little he knew. No favorite thefts, no family beyond parents that thought he was dead, no particular hotel branches he liked, no favorite food or brand of clothing or even any hobbies besides watching spy movies… _Don’t even know his fave flick._ Hell, the detective knew more about Ennoshita than he did.

_How is it that I know nothin’ about him?_

“Welp. This is going nowhere,” Futakuchi quipped as he poured them each a third cup. “Let’s see if you have better luck with these security tapes. Maybe we can catch him slipping up at one of the destinations.”

Futakuchi plopped into the chair beside him as the security footage began to play, abusing his new cup of coffee with more sugar. “Did Sawamura-san tell you about the information we got out of the slavers you arrested?”

Tanaka kept his eyes on the screen, watching diligently for any sign of the missing infiltrator. Heads of familiar dark hair passed by the camera, but none of them moved like Ennoshita did; none of them had that allure in their step that compelled Tanaka to keep watching. “Not yet.” _Haven't been around to give him the chance._ “Anythin’ good?”

Futakuchi kicked his feet up beside the monitor. “They had three more minor branches. Shiratorizawa’s taking care of them now since you guys need a few more days. We’re working on arresting the buyers they mentioned.”

“Buyers?” _Hell, how did I forget about that?_ He was so focused on taking out the suppliers, he forgot about the other half of the shitty transactions that kept slavers in business to begin with. “Shit, I didn’t even think about that.”

“You guys sure like to keep us busy. The arrests are sensitive work. We need to keep an eye out for any suspicious activity before we can get a warrant, all without tipping them off so they don’t hurt any slaves they have on hand.” Futakuchi took a sip of his coffee before adding, “And then there’s that mystery buyer.”

Tanaka stole a peek from the corner of his eye. “Mystery buyer?”

“One of their more suspicious clients. Would buy slaves ‘in bulk’ and left no trail besides the line they’d call from. It’s impossible to trace unless they make a call, so all we can do is bide our time and hope they don’t know about what happened to their precious supplier.” The detective’s cringe had nothing to do with the sugar-infested coffee. “The whole case reeks. Something more’s going on there.”

By their fourth cups and the fifth video, there was still no sign of Ennoshita. A part of Tanaka was proud of his master thief Connected, at least; for someone who should have been at a disadvantage with his identity and appearance known, he did a damn good job at hiding from the cameras, even without his stealth suit.

“Got any leads on the assholes who attacked the ship yet?” _Maybe if we catch them, Chikara will come back._

“We’ve got some clues and a potential motive. It could be a group that wants some control in underground operations, trying to take over Johzenji or something along those lines. Moniwa thinks the blood sample you found could be the final key to catching them if we can track down what colony they’re located on.”

Another cup, another video. “So, didja get any info from the- Wait, wait, pause it!”

“What-” Futakuchi leaned forward, squinting at the paused video. “Did a bird just shit on that guy’s head?!”

The first genuine laugh to hit Tanaka in weeks came at the expense of some poor bastard waiting for his ride, and Futakuchi was more than willing to play on it. “If we put it in slow motion, you can see the moment he figures it out. Watch.” With a few taps on the screen, the scene played again at a fourth of the speed, showing in glorious detail the second the man’s face contorted at the realization. For one blissful moment, Tanaka was an immature twelve-year-old again, laughing at some stranger’s misery and the worries of his missing Connected forgotten.

A few more cups with a little less sugar, a few more videos with a little less hope, the only discovery the two had made was their mutual love of laughing at others, a petty common interest that helped keep their sanity in check as the hours tick by. “Almost 3 AM. I’ve gotta finish up some things here, but you can go on ahead. Security will let you out.”

Before he had stepped into Futakuchi’s office that evening, Tanaka didn’t think he’d end the night offering a handshake as he was now. “Yeah, sure. See ya soon?”

Futakuchi shook back firmly. “As soon as I get any new clues.”

Wandering the Dateko headquarters at night was an eerie experience. The building was similar to Karasuno’s, only a couple of stories higher with those kinda creepy, sterile-white walls lining the corridors like Nekoma Tech. And like Karasuno HQ, the hallways were always filled with people; employees hurrying to their destination with stacks of papers in hand, engineers and pilots and fighters like himself meandering through, captains and commanders walking by with a dash of authority to their steps.

But in the dead of night, the halls were empty, the lights dimmed and the only footsteps echoing through were Tanaka’s as he passed by the closed office doors.

Except for the one door ahead left open, likely from the careless hand of an employee too eager to go home earlier in the day.

Likely an accident, just a door left ajar.

But the feeling nagging in Tanaka’s chest forced him to halt his step abruptly.

The sound of footsteps continued, someone else he couldn't see walking through the hall further ahead.

The thing about stealth suits was that they were never completely invisible; there was a faint glimmer that only a trained eye could see, the light wrapping around an outline one could catch at the right angle if they thought to look for it.

Tanaka’s feet moved quicker than his thoughts, running after the faint glimmer ahead. The figure froze - _They think I don’t see ‘em._

Tanaka reached out, his fingertips grazing the stealth suit, deactivating it with that familiar clicking sound.

The unstealthed figure ran, ran faster than Tanaka could keep up with, and in their hand, Tanaka spotted the evidence bag with the blood-speckled satchel, the blood sample that could help them find the attacker that scared Ennoshita out of his life.

_Shit, shit, shit-_ It was a stealth suit like Ennoshita’s, but it wasn’t Ennoshita’s; there was a hint of color to it, a tinge of dark green, and there was something protruding from the back.

_S’that a jetpack?_ It was like Asahi’s but shaped a little differently, a model Tanaka didn’t know. It was larger, too, which could only mean it had even more power than Asahi’s as it began warming up, the steam from the exhaust clouding Tanaka’s view as the figure ran towards a window.

_They’re goin’ for the window._

_I won’t make it to ‘em in time._

_But if I jump after them, I can take ‘em down with me. Jetpack can’t hold us both._

Jumping from a sixth story window…

_Fuck if I don’t make it, neither will they. Case solved._

The evidence thief was barely beyond Tanaka’s reach as they made it to the window, kicking their foot against the window to shatter the glass as the jetpack continued to heat up.

A few inches beyond his grasp, _I can’t reach,_ but if he climbed the window in time, _If I jump-_

_“Can you promise to me, then?”_

His foot propped up on the windowsill froze, the steel beneath his fingers dug into his palms as the memory of Ennoshita's sweet voice ached in his chest.

_“That you won't put yourself in danger unless it's absolutely necessary?”_

He was deaf to the huff of the jetpack as the thief flew up and out of sight, could only hear the promise he made to someone who abandoned him as he watched the target fly out and away.

_“I promise I'll be a bit more careful. Just a little bit.”_ He could remember Ennoshita sitting across from him in the cockpit, the stray strand of hair sticking to his forehead and the faint smile gracing his lips when Tanaka made his promise. He could remember the light in Ennoshita’s eyes when he spoke of his first theft. He could remember Ennoshita’s hands in his, excitedly showing off the fingerprints that were no longer there.

He’d tried so hard to push the memories away, to fight the waves of them, but what was one man to the angry tide dragging him in.

The taste of his lips, his gasps and sighs and whimpers at every flick of his tongue, the desperation to be closer radiating from his mouth to his fingertips...

By the time Futakuchi reached him, he was numb to the detective's voice, only dragged from his thoughts by the hand on his shoulder. “Tanaka, I need you to come with me for questioning.”

* * *

“Why the hell are we in here?”

“Standard procedure.” Futakuchi sat in the chair on the other side of the metal table in the otherwise empty interrogation room. “Need to make sure you’re not covering for your Connected.”

Steel walls built to intimidate, a single camera in the corner recording his every move, the two-way mirror with hell knows who on the other side... Tanaka sure as hell thought they could take the conversation anywhere else, but he was too tired to argue it, even if he drank enough coffee to keep him up for a week. “What’s Chikara gotta do with this?”

Futakuchi pulled his phone from inside his jacket, setting it to record before placing it on the table. “Stealth suit makes him our primary suspect.”

Tanaka sucked at his teeth. “Bullshit. ‘Primary suspect’ my ass. He didn’t take the stealth suit when he left.”

“But we can’t assume he didn’t get his hands on another one,” the detective stated plainly, leaning his elbows on the metal table to steeple his fingertips. “Some of my higher-ups think his escape right after the attack isn’t a coincidence. This stolen evidence is a bad hit against him.”

“You mean the evidence _he_ found?” The evidence _he_ insisted on finding, the clues _he_ put together so damn easily because he was a natural - the clever infiltrator meant to be on their team.

“Good. Keep making points in his favor. Can’t write him off on that because it could be a ploy to keep suspicion from him, but the more we pile up in his favor, the better.” He shuffled through his inner jacket pocket again, - _How much shit does he keep in those pockets?_ \- pulling out a small notepad and pen. “Was there anything particular you noticed that we could use to prove it wasn’t him?”

Tanaka folded his arms across his chest, tiredly glaring at his new buddy across the table. “It _wasn’t_ him. I didn’t sense ‘im at all.”

Futakuchi seemed unfazed by the glare and the attitude, writing on his little notepad instead of making any comment on it. “You can ‘sense’ where he is specifically, right? You found the thief even though he was stealthed.”

“You can see it if you know what to look for. Bet you can catch it on your camera if you pay attention.”

“Let’s give it a shot.” Futakuchi gave a sharp whistle towards the two-way mirror to someone on the other side that neither could see. “Kindaichi, forward the video to my phone.”

A staticky “On it” came through the intercom below the mirror, and a minute later a _ding_ on Futakuchi’s phone resounded through the steel walls. The detective mumbled to himself as he watched the clip, enjoying the sound of his own voice as he quietly narrated the events playing out on his phone to himself. “How would you describe seeing it?”

“It’s like…” Tanaka groaned as he tried to find the words to describe it in his tired mind. “Like you’re lookin’ through a glass cup. The light’s a little off and the view gets kinda... bendy.”

Futakuchi raised an eyebrow at ‘bendy’. “Is it like this?” He turned the phone around, and on the paused screen Tanaka barely caught the outline of a figure creeping out of the door.

“That’s it. If you look ahead to when they saw me comin’, they stopped. Guess they thought I didn’t see ‘em. Chikara would’ve known I could sense ‘im.”

Futakuchi held the button on the side of his phone to screenshot as he watched again in slow-motion. “You’re right. I can see it here.” After a few more screenshots he put the phone down in favor of scribbling a few more notes on his notepad. “Anything else you can think to note?”

“The thief had a jetpack. Don’t think Chikara knows how to use one a’ those.”

“Got anything more substantial?”

“The thief was too tall.” Just a tad, maybe an inch or two. “They weren’t as clever. If it was Chikara, he woulda walked behind me so he could keep his eye on me.” It was only a guess, but Ennoshita would know better than risk someone seeing him. “They didn’t move like ‘im. Not as graceful.” Every motion that Tanaka had committed to memory... the way he’d turn to look at him, the soft nature of his walk, every action deliberate and nothing wasted.

The quiet elegance in his step, his soft hair flowing with every turn of his head, his fond smile when he looked Tanaka's way.

His tight grip around Tanaka’s waist, the rough way he pinned Tanaka against the wall, his lips so soft despite the fierce nature of his kiss…

“We’ll get an approximate height from the tape and try to sync up what we know about his tactics to see if you’re right. That could be enough to get him off the hook.” Futakuchi turned off his phone screen before shoving it back into his seemingly bottomless jacket pocket. “But not tonight. Go get some sleep and I’ll call you when I hear anything.”

“Yeah,” Tanaka muttered, pressing the heels of his palms to his stinging eyes.

“Kindaichi will walk you out.” He could hear Futakuchi’s footsteps as the detective rose to his feet and walked up to the door, opening it with a creak. “Don’t worry about Ghost. I’ll catch him so you can tell him off for putting you through this.”

Tanaka sucked in a hard breath, wiping his eyes with the back of his arm as he got up. “Yeah. Thanks.” He pat the detective on the back as he walked past him, grateful Futakuchi wasn’t giving him that damn pitying look he was so tired of seeing on everyone else these days.

Back on the ship, he crawled into Ennoshita’s bed as he had each night the past three weeks, the ghost of Ennoshita’s presence the only thing that could help him sleep.

* * *

Tanaka woke to the morning light pouring through the window and Daichi’s voice pouring through the intercom. “Take care of whatever you need in town today. We’re leaving tomorrow morning. Tanaka and Yamaguchi, you two will take first shift flying the ship.”

_But Chikara still ain’t here._

Every night, Tanaka couldn't sleep until he crawled into Ennoshita’s bed. Ennoshita's scent on the pillow was a source of comfort once, but each day it faded, fainter and fainter until burying his face in the pillow offered nothing more.

Every morning, he suffered for his nightly habit.

At first, it was easier, easy to focus on the questions that plagued him instead of the memories that threatened to ruin him.

But after last night, there was no going back. Ennoshita’s pillow beneath his head, Ennoshita’s blanket wrapped around him, Ennoshita’s bed supporting him through the night...

Ennoshita’s hair between his fingers, Ennoshita’s arms holding him tightly, Ennoshita’s soft lips against his own...

Suga’s voice chiming through the intercom was far too chipper for the morning. “Tanaka, you have an email!”

_I don’t give a damn about emails right now, Suga-san._ Tanaka pulled the blanket tighter around him, turning to face the wall that separated Ennoshita’s room from his own.

_But what if it’s ‘bout Chikara?_

_Damn it._

He grumbled to himself as he reluctantly pulled the covers off, snapping the charger out of Ennoshita’s laptop and dragging it back to the bed with him. Wrapping the blanket over his shoulders, he pulled up the browser - _‘Course Chikara’s not logged in. Does he even have an email address?_ \- and typed in his info.

_[ From: FutakuchiK@Dateko; Subject: Ghost’s dossier ]_

_Compiled Ghost’s info. Sent you anything not classified._

_\- F.K._

Tanaka downloaded the few attached documents, each unnamed and looking more like a random assortment of notes than anything organized. The top page was familiar, a copy of the profiles Takeda offered with info about the team. But Tanaka had only ever looked over his own, intent on learning about everyone else through conversation instead. _I argued with Chikara ‘bout that, yet here I am, lookin’ his over._

There was the top line, not too different from his own profile. _Ennoshita Chikara - Status: Deceased._ Only a few months older than him, - _Remember that birthday, December 26th._ \- only a few pounds lighter, - _Gotta be a difference in muscle._ \- and not even a full inch shorter than him - _Makes him easier to kiss._ Arrested after giving Futakuchi a hell of a chase for over a year across multiple planets, he spent a few months in Shiratorizawa’s jail for questioning and awaiting trial before Takeda got permission to recruit him. He spent the next nine months at Karasuno in a cell until the ship was ready. _That’s when I met him. But I already knew most of that._

He skipped over to the next page, tedious details about the chase and the places Futakuchi followed him to before he finally caught him at some run-down hotel. _Boring, skip. Another. Boring, skip. At least Futakuchi recorded everything, even if his notes are a mess._ There were some accounts of Ennoshita’s thefts - _Would like to hear about them from him, see how excited he gets when he talks about ‘em._ \- but it was another few pages until Tanaka’s eyes landed on something of interest.

_Born and raised in Gransys, no siblings, parents still married-_ Details of Ennoshita’s past in no particular order. Wealthy parents, nearly perfect grades, sent to a boarding school for a few years… _There’s that boring life he talked about._ Tanaka could imagine it, and it seemed just as terrifying to him as it must have been to Ennoshita. He could imagine a stiff relationship with his parents, no older sister to scold him and make him laugh, a monotonous daily routine from his first day of school till the rest of his life. _His parents were accountants, can't get any more* boring than that._

Another page, another story he only knew the outline for, the frame of a picture for him to fill in with the words on the screen; _Ennoshita’s Chikara’s death._ Assumed a suicide - Failed his last two semesters of school, his apartment caught on fire and took nearly everything he owned with it several weeks later. A suicide note was found in his hotel before his car caught on fire where they presumed he was inside. _He musta spent months setting that up. Made it look like he gave up on everything, and burned any evidence that could be used against him. Clever like always. Dark, but clever._

But through the pages, there was nothing about _Chikara_ \- nothing about what made him a person, only a thief. What was his favorite movie? Would he want to watch it cuddled on a couch, or would he get too invested, sitting on the edge of his seat with his eyes lit up in awe? What was his favorite song? Did he like to dance to it? What was his favorite food, what restaurants should Tanaka take him to? Did he like the rain, what was his favorite season, would he like to huddle under the blankets together in the cold?

Would Tanaka ever get the chance to learn?

_Shit. Shit, shit, shit._ Tanaka let the laptop tumble to the floor with a clatter, tugging the blanket on his shoulders over his head.

_He’s gone._

He bit his quivering lip, trying to hold it in. But he held it in for too damn long now, and he couldn’t keep pushing it away anymore. _He’s fucking gone. After all that..._ He choked on the hard breath he sucked in, coughing as he rubbed at his eyes. _How could he leave me?_ The feeling of Ennoshita’s hands in his, the feeling of his silky hair between his fingers, the feeling of his tender lips pressed so delicately against his own… Every day they were a little harder to remember, memories Tanaka pushed away because he refused to believe they were the last he’d make with Ennoshita. _He’s really gone._ He choked on another sob, too many tears now to be held back by the heels of his palms. _I’ll never feel him in my arms again._

He almost missed the gentle rapping and Suga’s sweet voice at the door. “Tanaka? May I come in?”

“Yeah,” he coughed, rubbing at his eyes with the back of his arm in a useless endeavor to hide the hot tears still streaming down his cheeks.

The door slid open, closing behind Suga a moment later. The AI lightly tugged the blanket open to sit beside Tanaka underneath it. “Tanaka…” He gently pulled Tanaka’s arm away from his face to rest his hands on tear-stained cheeks, wiping under Tanaka’s eyes with his thumbs.

“Suga-san, I…” He met Suga’s gaze, his voice cracking as he spoke. “I want him back.”

Suga wrapped his arms around him, the familiar mechanical whir of his movements duller than Tanaka’s arm but still present, a reminder Suga was really there with him and not just a disembodied voice whispering comforts. Suga pulled him closer, urging Tanaka to rest his head in the crook of his neck. Suga’s embrace was a bit too tight, something still new and not well rehearsed, but it was exactly what Tanaka wanted - something solid, something real to hold him down and keep him grounded.

“It’ll be okay, Tanaka,” Suga cooed, rubbing Tanaka’s back a little too hard as he let the soldier hold him in a crushing hug and sob into his neck. “You can talk to me. Tell me everything.”

_What’s there to say?_ There were no words, no coherent thoughts, only a tangled web of longing and agony.

He turned away to rub at his puffy eyes as the sobbing began to subside. “I just miss ‘im so much, Suga-san,” he muttered through his sore throat.

“Tell me why you miss him. Let’s remember the good things together.”

_Where do I start?_ Tanaka remembered when he first saw Ennoshita in that damn lobby; the handsome stranger dressed head to toe in black, the contrasting white handcuffs catching his eye. He remembered feeling Ennoshita’s heartbeat when Daichi looked his way; the first time he sensed his Connected’s heartbeat, and it wasn't for him. _That changed plenty, though._ Before Ennoshita left, Tanaka saying his name was enough to make his heart race.

“I hated ‘im at first,” Tanaka finally began. “Damn sensible type, never thought we'd get along.” Tanaka recalled the fire, Ennoshita stopping him and the argument it led to. He recalled the hospital, the procedure where Ennoshita’s hand provided a comfort sorely needed. _Chikara wanted that procedure. He was ready to take his new job seriously._ He recalled their time apart, guiltily missing his Connected a little more each day that he was in that damn hospital. He recalled the first mission, how Ennoshita risked his life without hesitation to help the helpless. He recalled the promise Ennoshita forced him to make, the promise that kept him from quite literally throwing his life out the window last night.

With a couple more stray tears and a few more pauses to keep his composure, the memories kept flowing from his lips, telling Suga each one he tried to push away. Ennoshita excitedly telling him about his past. Ennoshita’s hands in his as he showed off his lack of fingerprints. Ennoshita telling him about the agent of Seijou bartending at Johzenji. Ennoshita’s arms around him after the nightmares. Ennoshita’s heartbeat lulling him to sleep. Ennoshita asking Yachi how to help with panic attacks. Ennoshita playing games with Hinata, Yamaguchi, Kageyama, and Yachi. Ennoshita comforting Asahi in the shuttle with simple truths. Ennoshita laughing at his stories. Ennoshita hunting for clues when Johzenji was attacked. Ennoshita pulling him away from danger, his desperate grip on Tanaka’s arm. Ennoshita’s tender kisses, his shaking hands as he held on tightly.

By the time he finished, the tears staining his cheeks were dry, and the sobs were replaced by the rare sniffle. “I get it now, Suga-san.”

Suga ran his fingers behind Tanaka’s ear, a comfort Tanaka leaned into. “Get what, Tanaka?”

Tanaka was done with the blind denial. He was done assuming Ennoshita would be back just because he couldn’t imagine any other outcome. It couldn’t be that simple, not when Ennoshita insisted on making everything so damn complicated. Ennoshita only acted two ways; on a whim, or with a list of reasons that forced his hand. ‘Because he should’ wasn’t reason enough for him to come back on his own.

Tanaka was done with blind denial and ready for acceptance, to accept the truth about what Ennoshita would do and why.

“Chikara will come back. He’ll come back ‘cause this is where he wants to be.”

Ennoshita had been doing all he could before he had even stepped foot on the ship, from researching the team to getting the chip to work with Tanaka even when he gave him hell.

He’d be back because he liked being an infiltrator. He’d be back because he liked being a hero, the star of his own espionage movie.

He’d be back because he cared about the team.

He’d be back because he cared about Tanaka. _When he comes back, I’ll give him a piece of my mind for putting me through hell._

_But I’m damn sure he’ll be back._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Today on "My playlist is trying to kill me", it played ["Unsteady" by X Ambassadors](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0lw3qylVfY) while I was writing Tanaka starting to cry. So, you know. I'm dead inside now.
> 
> What is Ennoshita up to? Find out next time on Connected Ball Z.
> 
> *alarm noises* LOOK WHAT [STARLITY](http://starlity.tumblr.com/) DREW AAAAHHH  
> 
> 
>   
>    
> 


	10. ghost

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ennoshita had gone through the routine greeting enough by now that he could recite it and its false cheer in his sleep. “Hello! My name’s Minato, and I’ll be serving you for tonight. Do you know what you’d like to drink?” 
> 
> “Have you forgotten what I like already, _Minato?”_
> 
> _No._
> 
> _No, no, no, not here, not-_ “Why are you _here?”_ Ennoshita hissed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Warnings for this chapter:** Someone gives himself a ~special secret handshake~. To skip NSFW, skip from the bolded [+++] to [---]
> 
> Word count: 8513  
> [Mystery Skulls - Ghost](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YlEb3L1PIco)

_“What happened here?”_

_Ennoshita steps over the paint on the floor carefully, the spilled colors filling the otherwise gray and empty room._

_“Eheh, you uh… You know the arm?” Tanaka pats his left arm covered in shades of blue and yellow. “Guess it didn’t like the paint cans on the counter and went for the attack.”_

_Ennoshita snorts in amusement as he walks up to the other, wrapping his arms around Tanaka’s waist. “What did those paint cans do to your poor arm to deserve retaliation?”_

_Tanaka’s arms wrap around him in return, staining hues of orange on his black clothes. “I dunno, but the arm’s got the right idea. You need some color in here.”_

_The place doesn’t really need it - Tanaka’s bright grin is enough to fill the room with life._

_“Need a little color here, too!” Tanaka swipes his thumb over the tip of Ennoshita’s nose, leaving a dab of orange. “Looks good on ya!”_

_“C’mere, let me give you one to match.” Ennoshita leans forward to nuzzle Tanaka's nose with his own, covering both of their noses with orange. Tanaka’s smile and laughter are infectious, and Ennoshita's smiling so hard back that it hurts. He tilts his head to lean closer, Tanaka's lips so close to his own-_

The obnoxious buzz of the alarm startled Ennoshita awake at the worst possible time, just as it did every morning the past eleven weeks.

_The universe is punishing me._

He fumbled for the snooze button before turning over in the too small bed, every movement creaking as loudly as the alarm’s shriek.

Eleven weeks, and it wasn’t getting any easier to forget Tanaka.

Over two months, and he was still the star of every dream. Ennoshita would have blamed the dreams on lust, - the kiss was the most action he’d gotten in what, a year and a half now? - except the dreams were so _sickeningly_ domestic; the peeks into a dream life where they live happily ever after taunted him each night, casual moments filled with casual touches, all taken for granted because they were infinite.

_Eleven weeks, and I’m no closer to getting over him._

The buzz shrieked in his ear again. “I’m getting up, I’m getting up,” he mumbled at the alarm, the creaks of the bed overwhelming the tiny room as he rose to his feet.

He had a better chance of forgetting Tanaka at work anyways, at least for a little while.

Ennoshita walked through the cruddy apartment to the cruddy bathroom, the usual morning melancholy striking him as he caught his reflection in the broken mirror. _No more 'Ennoshita'. It's 'Minato' now._ He splashed the freezing water on his face, squeezing a dab of facewash on his hand before bringing it to his chin. Long gone was the beard burn from Tanaka's stubble, his lips no longer swollen from the sharp teeth nipping at them. _Hair's growing back too quickly. Maybe I should take Ko's offer to shave it._

With another chilling splash water, he wiped his face with his shirt - white with the occasional yellow stain from the globs of grease they called ‘food’ at work - before he grabbed his faded red apron, donned his leather gloves, and walked out the door.

* * *

When Ennoshita saw the ‘Now Hiring’ sign on the diner window, he _had_ to take the position. _It’s just like the movies._ The protagonist runs away from their problems to some planet where no one recognizes them, and they take a shitty job at a shitty diner until something happens to make them return home.

_Except I’m no protagonist, and there is no home for me._ All he had was a cramped apartment in desperate need of a paint job with a few pieces of furniture ready to fall apart at a moment’s notice, and soon he’d have to leave it. _Dateko’s probably looking for me by now. I just need a little more money before I run again._

It was too bad, too. He’d grown fond of the diner with its greasy food and crummy yellow walls. He liked his boss; the man didn’t care what anyone did as long as work got done, keeping to himself unless he needed to throw a rowdy customer out. Ennoshita liked most of the usual customers, too. The older woman, Mei, that showed up most nights was charming enough, funny but a little awkward. Ko was a lively regular that showed up every night, doodling on her napkins and always managing to bring a smile to Ennoshita’s lips. Hirota was a bit… strange, but as long as Ennoshita delivered his tea with exactly nine ice cubes, two straws, and five packets of sweetener, he was fairly pleasant.

The ten-hour shifts six days a week were his choice to take; he had no use for free time, the work was easy, and dealing with all sorts of characters all day were a welcome distraction from the thoughts and memories of the life he left behind.

“Oi, Hirota-san! What’s your favorite animal?”

Hirota stammered under the spotlight between Ennoshita and the two other nightly regulars. “I-I don’t have one.”

“You know he’s bad with people, Ko,” Ennoshita whispered as he placed her ‘usual’ - _“Whatever the big guy in the kitchen wants to cook!”_ \- on the table.

“He’ll open up someday!” she whispered back, though ‘whisper’ wasn’t quite the word to describe it. _That’s about as quiet as she can get._ “C’mon, Hirota-san!” she shouted across the diner again; Hirota's usual seat at the opposite side of the diner did him no favors when Ko was drawing attention to him, the distance only making the interaction that much more awkward. “Tell me your favorite animal! I’ll draw it!”

Poor Hirota wrung his hands under the table. “A… a liger.”

“A _liger?!”_ Ko laughed, pushing aside her plate in favor of tapping her pen to a fresh napkin. “Nice choice, Hirota-san!”

Hirota smiled nervously, but it was a genuine smile all the same. _Maybe he appreciates her reaching out after all._

The evenings with just the three and the occasional straggler were calm, but calm was the opposite of a good thing. Calm gave his mind time to wander, a chance to think about something other than _A diet soda for Table 3, food’s almost done for Table 6, Table 1 wants their check._

_Sharp teeth nipping at my lips, toned thighs straddled across my hips, that deep chuckle against my mouth…_

“There he goes,” Mei declared loud enough for the others to hear from her usual stool at the counter. “Minato’s got that lovesick look again.”

Thankfully Hirota and Ko were too preoccupied with their own thoughts to bother looking their way. “I’m just sleepy,” Ennoshita tried to argue, though it was always futile.

“Oh, Minato.” She shook her head, sucking her teeth to a little _tsk, tsk, tsk_ beat. “You can’t fool me, hun.”

Minato - a fake name for a fake identity, another piece of this life he’d need to give up in a week or two. “We had a crazy afternoon, I’ll have you know.” That much wasn’t fake, at least; the other server conveniently forgot to show up on top of it being some obscure colony holiday, leaving Ennoshita running from table to table on his own. No time to think about Tanaka’s biceps, or the dips of his abs, or his hands pinning Ennoshita’s to the floor…

“Minato,” a gruffer voice called from the small window to the kitchen. _Uh oh._ “Go get some sleep.”

“Yes, sir.” Ennoshita would rather stay, but there was no arguing with the boss. He snatched one of Ko’s napkin sketches off of her table as he passed before she could object, - _“Why do you keep them! Just throw them away!”_ \- and untied the unflattering red apron off as he walked out the door.

* * *

The light flickered as it reluctantly woke from its slumber overhead, a low buzz humming as it lit the crummy studio apartment and all its terrible features. Two holes in the wall covered by duct tape, the kitchen sink permanently stained, one cabinet was missing a door… _I won’t miss this place when I leave, at least._ Ennoshita pulled the carefully folded napkin from his pocket - _The details on this koi fish she drew are stunning,_ \- and placed it in a box on the counter with the rest he had saved before Ko could toss them away.

He tore off his gloves and leisurely untied his shoes, a poor attempt to delay the inevitable as his mind continued to wander down the same path it did each evening, tan skin and a deep voice clouding his thoughts.

**[+++]**

His dreams at night may have been domestic and sweet, not a single hint of perversion, but his thoughts most evenings were far from innocent. _Tanaka’s tongue on my lip, Tanaka’s fingers in my hair, Tanaka’s gasps at my kiss_ \- Ennoshita pushed past the torn curtain that worked as a poor excuse for a bathroom door, unbuckling his belt before propping one hand against the wall in front of the toilet and working his zipper with the other.

He imagined Tanaka on his knees bent over in front of him, no clothing hiding his sculpted back. _I want to touch him all over. Every inch deserves to be worshipped._ Ennoshita dipped his hand into his pants, letting out a shaky exhale as he took hold of himself. In his mind Tanaka spread his toned thighs, welcoming him with a whimper.

_I bet he likes it fast. I’d go slow, drive him crazy, make him beg._ He imagined Tanaka gripping the sheets so tightly his hands shook, whining through clenched teeth biting the pillow at the leisurely pace of his thrusts. Ennoshita stroked himself at the same pace, biting his lip to muffle his moans. _How long before Tanaka can’t take it anymore and begs for more?_ How would he beg? Would he be demanding? Or would he say _‘Please’,_ the only coherent word to make it past his lips?

Ennoshita dared to imagine Tanaka saying his name - his _given_ name, whimpering ‘Chikara, more, _please’._ He stroked a little faster, giving into Tanaka’s begging. He gripped Tanaka’s hips too tightly, thrust too hard, and Tanaka’s perfect body trembled in his hands in response, shaved head thrown back as a choked moan escaped him. Tanaka’s next moan was louder when Ennoshita buried his forehead between Tanaka’s shoulder blades to reach around and grab him. _I want to give him what he wants, I want to please him, I want to make him come with my name on his lips…_ His arm propped against the wall shook as he pumped himself quicker, the mere thought of Tanaka crying his name enough to bring him to the brink.

_‘Chikara, I’m coming’_ sent Ennoshita over the edge, spilling into his hand with a final shaky moan.

As the haze in his mind began to clear, he sighed down at the mess in his hand.

**[---]**

_Why can’t I imagine anyone else?_

He knew the answer but refused to acknowledge it.

He'd never bothered to imagine another.

He didn't want to, couldn't bear the idea of someone other than Tanaka in his bed or in his sickeningly domestic dreams.

* * *

_“I can’t get them off.”_

_Ennoshita’s tugging on the ribbons tied to his fingers, and he knows pulling them from there won’t unravel the knots. But he gently tugs regardless, frustrated that the knots won’t simply untie themselves._

_Almost all of the ribbons are yellow, about a dozen of them stretching far beyond his sight, but the ribbon tied to his pinky is a vibrant red. Its other end is much closer, tied to the pinky of the man coming up behind him. “‘Cause they ain’t supposed’ta come off.” Tanaka closes the distance and presses his chest against Ennoshita’s back. He trails his palms down Ennoshita’s arms, from shoulders to elbows to hands until he laces their fingers together and the two ends of the red ribbon meet._

_With his fingers occupied, Ennoshita stops his useless endeavor to untie the yellows. “The others need to take them off on their end. Tell Daichi-san and Nishinoya to cut the strings.”_

_“When will you learn it ain’t that easy?” Watching over Ennoshita's shoulder, Tanaka turns their hands to look at Ennoshita's palms and brush his thumbs over the ribbon knots. “Nobody’s cutting these.”_

_Ennoshita tilts his head back to rest it on Tanaka’s shoulder. “Why won’t they?”_

_“‘Cause they don’t want to.” Tanaka nuzzles his nose against Ennoshita’s neck. “‘Cause you don’t want to.” Tanaka tilts his head a little more, enough so his breath teases Ennoshita’s neck before he leans in-_

The obnoxious buzz startled him awake, and for the first time in his life, Ennoshita considered taking out his wrath on an inanimate object, nearly chucking the alarm against the wall.

_I hope work is so busy that I don’t have the energy to think at all._

* * *

The long work days weren’t bad, but…

_Heel-to-toe, heel-to-toe, quiet footsteps behind the enemy. Climb the stairwell to the rhythm of their feet, duck under the sensors, disable the cameras…_

Ennoshita missed the thrill of infiltrating. Stealing, too, but stealing lacked… _something,_ something more rewarding that only the few missions he took on with the team had offered.

“Space case Minato is at it again.”

Ennoshita blinked at Ko from behind the counter he was leaning on. “Oh, sorry. Did you need anything?”

“Do you have any of that iced tea left? The really sweet stuff.”

The diner was emptier than usual, but that was common for Wednesday nights. Mei was always in a hurry to get home to watch some show, and Hirota was off doing whatever it was that kept Hirota busy on Wednesdays. Even the occasional strangers were rare, enough so that the boss would spend the nights smoking outside instead of waiting in the kitchen for orders.

Wednesdays were Ennoshita’s bane, the lack of work allowing his mind to wander back to the ship, back to the crew and missions he left behind. _I need a distraction._

He placed a cup of cavity-inducing-sweet iced tea on the table in front of Ko and a cup of lemonade for himself. “Do you mind if I sit with you?"

Her reaction was just as he expected, an exaggerated _pfft_ and a look that screamed ‘Are you seriously asking me that _again?’_ instead of a direct answer. Ennoshita took his cue, folding up his apron so it wouldn’t get caught under him as he slid into the booth across from her. He needed a distraction from his thoughts, and there was no better distraction than Ko; she always had a conversation ready. “When do I get to hear your tragic backstory?”

“Tragic backstory?” Ennoshita laughed, palms flat on the table and framing his cup with his index fingers and thumbs. “What makes you think I have a tragic backstory?”

Ko took a swig of her drink, punctuated with an _aahh_ before she responded. “You came outta nowhere, you wear those gloves _all_ the time,” she pointed at the leather gloves on his hands with the tip of her pen, “and you’re always zoning out. There’s a story behind all this.”

Ennoshita felt the smile tugging at his lips. _She’s not entirely wrong._ “The gloves are so I don’t burn my hands.” Not a lie, though it was hardly the full picture. Scars from burns or cuts were as identifying as fingerprints; one careless slip while helping in the diner’s kitchen, and his lack of prints would be meaningless.

“Hey now, don't dodge the question!” she replied with a grin, amusement dancing in her brown eyes.

“Alright, alright!” _She wants a story. Let's give her a ridiculous one: the truth._ He leaned in closer, his voice dropping to a near-whisper, but his own amused grin didn’t falter. “I was a government spy,” he started; an exaggeration, but closer to the truth than his past self would have ever dared to dream. “I was assigned to a secret military ship with a group of heroes everyone thinks are dead.”

“Suuuuure.” She pushed her half-empty drink aside to make room for a fresh napkin, scribbling circles in the corner until the ink in her pen ran cleanly. “I'll play along. Who were these dead heroes?”

What would she say if he mentioned Nishinoya Yuu, the doctor responsible for miracles on the field? How much would she laugh if he told her the Butcher of Cassardis, Azumane Asahi, was about as terrifying as a kitten trapped under a blanket? _As much as I’d love to see her reactions, these aren’t my secrets to tell._ “That’s classified information,” he replied in a mock seriousness.

“Ha!” She didn’t glance up from the doodle, covering it with the other hand when Ennoshita tried to steal a peek. “What did you do on this ‘secret military ship’? Or is that ‘classified information’, too?”

“I suppose I could divulge a story or two,” he teased, rewarded with Ko’s snicker. “One dangerous mission-” His first of… two? Three? Not that she needed to know about his lack of experience, “-we found a suspicious group. I snuck inside past their security and found a horrible truth: they were slavers holding a dozen innocent civilians captive.” He gave a dramatic pause, and Ko faked a gasp. “I did what I could to protect them while the others fought the slavers-” He baby-sat a control panel before an unarmed, injured man beat him up, but that didn’t exactly add flair to his ‘tale’, “-but we were outnumbered three-to-one. Death was certain, but then!” He paused again, and Ko glanced up at him expectantly, her grin stretching from ear to ear. _“Johzenji_ came to our rescue, finishing off the slavers and offering an alliance.”

“You are so. Full. Of. _Shit!”_ Ko laughed, a full-blown guffaw that brought some life to the dead diner.

Ennoshita laughed along, but he couldn’t ignore the nagging feeling pulling at his chest as vague memories of the mission’s effects played in his mind - Tanaka coming to his aid, Daichi’s praise, and the chain of events set into motion that resulted in the team truly coming together. Asahi and Daichi embracing each other after a mission, Nishinoya’s unrestrained laugh as he teased his Connected, the evening spent swapping embarrassing stories with Kinoshita, Narita, and Tanaka…

_I miss them. All of them._

“So why’d ya leave then, Mr. Spy?”

“I left because…” He could say the truth as he had been saying (for the most part), but could he talk about the attack so casually? To make it a joke, laugh about it even though he’d been on edge since that day, flinching at anything that moved too fast or clattered too loudly?

_But it wasn’t really the attack, was it?_

The attack set him on edge, but its memory wasn’t what twisted his gut. Sure, the fear in that moment was far worse than anything he’d felt when he was stealing - that helplessness, to have no escape or control.

But he had faith in his team - faith in the pilots that could fly them out of danger, faith in the captain that kept calm and guided them, faith in the engineers and tech specialist that repaired the ship.

The true fear was the end of years of running, never truly calling a place home or keeping anything for himself. The true fear was earning cuts and scars with stories behind them, prints that identified him even if his fingers were bare. The true fear was painting on the blank canvas that he had become, years without friends holding brushes to paint memories that would define him.

The true fear was the man he wanted to live a sickeningly domestic life with, tying Ennoshita down only to leave. The true fear was tasting the euphoria Tanaka had to offer only to lose him some day.

“I left because I think I fell in love.”

Ko looked up from her sketch with wide eyes, raised eyebrows hiding under her bangs. “No shit. Mei’s right, then? _That’s_ why you’re always zoning out?”

Ennoshita nodded, eyes cast down to his untouched drink.

“So you got dumped?”

“No, I…” That didn’t happen, but the idea was a punch to his gut all the same. The thought of Tanaka not returning his feelings was, guiltily, almost as painful as the thought of watching him die. “We kissed. And I realized the idea of losing him was too much to bear.”

Ko’s sharp laugh startled him. “You're having an existential crisis ‘cause you _kissed?_ Just kissed? Wow, you really do got it bad. You’re supposed to save the freaking out for your wedding day!” The scratching of her pen grew louder as she colored in whatever it was she was still hiding from him with her other hand. “How cute is he that he’s got you sweating so hard you leave town?”

_“Cute?”_ It was Ennoshita’s turn to laugh, the chance to finally talk about Tanaka easily bringing a smile to his lips. “He’s not _cute._ He’s a menace! He’s loud, and brash, and has no idea what personal space is.”

“Not cute, but he kisses you and you get so nervous you run away?” Ko teased with a knowing grin.

“Alright, alright. I admit, he’s... cute. On the rare occasion. He reminds me of a giant dog sometimes. He loves attention. He _pouts_ when you say something he doesn’t like. He’s always in my personal space and touching me like he wants to be pet. I really _did_ pet him once, and he grabbed my arm when I tried to stop.” Ennoshita paused at the memory of Tanaka resting his head on his chest in bed, gentle touches given freely and laughing over lame jokes. “He’s cute when he’s not busy being a pain in my ass or getting himself nearly killed.”

“Sounds like someone I know,” Ko remarked, a simple reply, but her lack of teasing cheer felt out of place. “When are you going back to him?”

_I can’t go back._ That wasn’t even an option anymore, was it? He was an escaped criminal now. _Would Tanaka even want me back?_ “We’ll see.”

“Well, don’t make him wait too long.” She finally removed the hand covering her sketch, turning the napkin around and sliding it across the table to Ennoshita. “Bring him to my shop some time, Mr. Spy.”

Her sketch was stunning, like they always were, but this one… this one was definitely his favorite. An outline of himself in a suit and shades with a gun in hand was framed inside of a bullet hole, a poster for an espionage flick starring him. _The life I gave up._ “This is…” He held the napkin in his hands delicately, resisting the urge to trace over the ink. “This is incredible. Thank you.”

“You can repay me by getting more of that iced tea,” Ko winked.

He handled the napkin with the utmost care on the walk home, refusing to fold it as he did all the others. It was a reminder of the life he had before, a life he was beginning to miss. _Maybe remembering it from time to time is a good thing. I don’t want to pretend it never happened._ He set it on his nightstand beside the alarm clock, a place where he could see it first thing each morning after the dreams teased him with what he could no longer have.

_I can’t go back, but I can remember._

_I can’t go back._

_Can I?_

* * *

_The lightbulb flickers and buzzes before it fully comes to life, the dull orange light filling the run-down apartment. “I’m home,” he announces as he sets his apron on the counter._

_Tanaka’s leaning against the nightstand, half-sitting on its edge. “You know this ain’t ‘home’.”_

_“We’ve been through this, Ryuu.” Ennoshita’s frustrated - Do they really need to have this argument again? - but he approaches his lover regardless, stepping between Tanaka’s knees and draping his arms over Tanaka’s shoulders. “This is home now.”_

_He leans in for a kiss, but Tanaka doesn’t meet him, cupping his chin to keep his lips away. “Stop kiddin’ yourself. Home’s out there.” The window behind Tanaka stretches across the wall, and Ennoshita’s back in the common room on the ship, looking out at the stars as the ship floats by. “Home’s out there. With the team.”_

_It’s hard to argue with Tanaka when his arms are wrapping around Ennoshita’s waist. Tanaka buries his face in the crook of Ennoshita’s neck, his stubble tickling against Ennoshita’s collarbone. “Is that even an option anymore?” Ennoshita whispers, resting his head against Tanaka’s as he watches the stars._

_“Only one way to find out.” Tanaka lifts his head, his lips hovering over Ennoshita’s neck-_

* * *

Every day was a blur, long hours with overwhelmingly busy lunch shifts that left Ennoshita’s mind numb, but today was the worst. By the time the flow of customers slowed to a trickle, Ennoshita couldn’t grab a single thought properly, deaf to the whir of _Diet for Table 4, Nishinoya’s boisterous laugh, BLT for Table 2, Suga’s doll waving enthusiastically, Ketchup for Table 7, Yamaguchi and Tsukishima snickering at Kageyama, Check for Table 6._ He was grateful the evening regulars weren’t demanding; Mei was content chatting with his boss, Ko was absorbed in whatever she was drawing, and Hirota stared out the window as he sipped through his straw, ignoring Ennoshita’s presence completely when he asked if he needed anything more.

By the time Mei and Hirota left, it was still too early to close, only one more straggler showing up to sit in the corner a few booths away from Ko. Not a regular, but that was fine; Ennoshita had gone through the routine greeting enough by now that he could recite it and its false cheer in his sleep. “Hello! My name’s Minato, and I’ll be serving you for tonight. Do you know what you’d like to drink?”

“Have you forgotten what I like already, _Minato?”_

_No._

_No, no, no, not here, not-_ “Why are you _here?”_ Ennoshita hissed.

“Is that any way to treat a customer?” The customer raised his douchey sunglasses to rest them on his head, delight dancing in his deceptively cute, brown eyes. “Should I call your boss over?”

“No, no!” _If he says anything about who I am to anyone, it’s all over._ Ennoshita glanced behind frantically - _No one’s looking._ \- before dropping his voice to a near whisper. “What do you want, Yahaba?”

Yahaba gestured to the booth across the table. “Have a seat. Let’s talk.”

Ennoshita did as he was told, victim to Yahaba’s demands with the metaphorical gun aimed at his head. _Wasn’t he arrested at Johzenji’s club?_ Ennoshita didn’t dare ask, keeping quiet like the good little puppet he was until Yahaba grew bored of pulling his strings. “Alright. Talk. Why are you here?”

“What if I just wanted to visit an old friend?” The smirk curling Yahaba’s lips that used to set Ennoshita’s heart racing now only fueled his ire. When Ennoshita refused to respond with anything more than narrowing his eyes, Yahaba continued, “I wanted to check up on you, of course. You left Karasuno after they got shot-” _He knows I was with Karasuno? And about the attack?_ “-so I decided to look you up.”

“And?”

“And what?” Yahaba asked oh so sweetly.

“You wouldn’t look me up unless you wanted something.” That’s how it always was - Yahaba only showed up when Ennoshita could fulfill his desires, be it secrets for sale or a romp between the sheets. _He’ll get neither from me now._ “Cut the act and tell me what you want.”

“So hostile,” Yahaba clicked his tongue, an obnoxious _tch_ that complimented his obnoxious grin. “Fine, we’ll do things your way.” He straightened up in his seat, folding his hands in front of his chin. “I have an offer for you. We’re interested in Karasuno. We already know plenty, but right now getting the information is tedious. If you rejoin them and report to us, we’ll pay you handsomely.”

_Not an option._ Even if he went back to the team - _Is that even possible now?_ \- there was no way he’d betray them.

But if he played along with Yahaba’s game, whatever it was, maybe he could turn it to his favor. Or, at the very least, find something to use to his advantage. “If they take me back, they’ll be cautious of me for a while. I won’t be able to report to you for at least a few weeks.”

“That’s fine. We’re looking at this as a long-term investment. We can pay you up front for whatever you already know.”

_An opening._ Ennoshita slumped his shoulders, trying to appear smaller, timid even. _Let Yahaba think he’s winning and lower his guard._ “You said you know plenty. I don’t know if I have anything new to offer.”

Yahaba leaned closer, smiling over his hands, the big, bad wolf seducing his prey. “We know about all the interesting characters on the ship. We know they got attacked. We know they worked with Johzenji.” He paused for a moment, flashing his ever-so-fake smile. “We know _you’re_ responsible for Dateko taking me for questions.”

Ennoshita’s act of innocent prey was fake, but the flinch at the accusation was real. _Keep playing his game._ Ennoshita could read between the lines, could read the information Yahaba didn’t realize he was freely giving. _If they’re coming to me after I snitched on him, it’s because they’re desperate. They want something that only I can offer._ “Then I appreciate you extending this offer to me after that.” _Play his game, but don’t make it obvious._ Ennoshita glanced away, eyes wandering around the restaurant to the only other customer besides them. “Not that I’m sure I’ll take it...”

Yahaba huffed through his nose, glancing over his shoulder to follow Ennoshita’s line of sight before he turned back. “So it’s coming down to this after all. I know about you and your Connected’s little kiss. You fell in love, but since you can’t handle the dangers of the ship, you ran away to become some _noble guardian_ for your lover’s honor instead.” Yahaba rolled his eyes to compliment his sarcastic tone. “I didn’t think you’d become such a sap.”

Ennoshita could only play along for so long - he could pretend to be timid, but hiding confusion was not well practiced. “Huh?”

Yahaba must not have expected that answer, staring back at Ennoshita with equally wide eyes. “‘Huh’ what?”

“I just...” Ennoshita blinked a few times, the words replaying in his head still not making sense. _What is he talking about? Did he misunderstand something he heard?_ “That bit about running away to ‘become some guardian’. What do you mean?”

It was Yahaba’s turn to blink in confusion, the surprise in his eyes one of the few genuine expressions Ennoshita had ever caught on him. “Why did you come here?”

“Well, like you said, I couldn’t handle the ship-”

“No, why _here.”_ Yahaba tapped at the table with his index finger. “You could have gone to any colony on any planet, but you picked this shitty diner. Don’t tell me it’s some freaky coincidence.”

_Coincidence?_ Ennoshita picked that colony because he hitched a ride; he stole a few wallets and bought a few tickets for ships, but in the end, he’d never left the planet, riding with a kind stranger he met in Soren to the next colony over. _Is there something here Yahaba knows about that I don’t?_ “It has to be a coincidence because I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“No way. It’s really some freaky Connected thing?” Yahaba glanced behind his shoulder back at Ko again. “You’re not here for her?”

_Here for Ko?_ Ennoshita watched her for a moment, Yahaba’s words refusing to click in his mind. _Why would I be here for her? What does my Connected have to do with…_

His gaze was drawn to her sharp eyes, the straight slope of her nose, the familiar wicked grin she wore as she worked on whatever sketch was catching her interest.

“She’s…” Any coherent thought drifted away from him as he considered Ko in a new light, the similarities so striking he could kick himself for not noticing these past three months; her friendliness and need to reach out to others, her carefree nature, her unrestrained laugh that never failed to brighten his day…

_...Tanaka’s sister?_

“You _really_ never noticed? I thought you were some sort of expert at deduction.” Yahaba turned in the booth to sling his arm over the edge, giving a sharp whistle in Ko’s direction to catch her attention. “Hey, you’re Tanaka-chan, right?”

Her blonde hair bobbed as she looked up at the voice calling her. _She has his eyes. How did I never notice her eyes?_ “Who’s askin’?”

“I’m a friend of _Minato’s.”_ Yahaba just _had_ to put an emphasis on the fake name, enough that Ko - _Tanaka-chan?_ \- raised a curious eyebrow. “I thought I recognized you! I passed by your tattoo shop earlier. I was thinking of getting a tattoo.”

“Oh yeah?” There was that grin - _Ryuunosuke’s grin!_ \- as she enthusiastically replied. “What kinda tattoo?”

Yahaba grinned back, eager to bewilder Ennoshita further. “I was thinking a crow,” he replied sweetly, arsenic laced with honey. _A crow? For Karasu? You must think you're so witty._

“A crow, huh?” Ko pulled over a fresh napkin, pen swiftly dashing across its surface. “Where would ya get it?”

“I haven't decided yet. Where do you think I should get it, _Minato?”_ Yahaba added a wink, because of course he would, why wouldn't he.

“Get it on your ass so your boyfriend notices that instead of how flat it is.”

Yahaba’s glare was almost worth the hell he was putting him through. Ko’s laughter was just as much of a treat - _She sounds so much like Tanaka, how did I not notice?_ \- as she walked towards them, freshly scribbled-on napkin in hand. “Come by my shop. I'll give you a discount since you're a buddy of Minato’s.” She dropped the napkin on the table, her name and number written in a steady cursive beside the outline of a crow. “Gotta head out. Left money for bill and tip on the table- You alright? You’re pale as ghost.”

Ennoshita choked on his surprise, coughing as he tried to reply. “Just… a little deja vu.”

Ko’s guffaw was too familiar while she smacked him on the back. “You be careful with that. I’ll be seeing ya!”

Yahaba waved as she walked away, smiling like he won some prize. “Nice meeting you, Tanaka-chan~”

Ennoshita snatched the napkin from Yahaba’s grasp as soon as she was out of sight, his eyes lingering on the name written in smooth curls - _Tanaka Saeko._

“So. About my offer. If you didn’t come here to protect her-”

“I'll think about it,” Ennoshita snapped, more than ready to be done hearing Yahaba’s prattling. _I've dealt with him enough for a lifetime._ “I have a lot on my mind right now. Could we discuss the specifics in a few days?”

“Sure, sure.” If Yahaba bothered to look his way a last time, he didn't notice, his gaze still locked onto the napkin. “I'll be back this weekend. Have an answer ready.”

_It's what Yahaba didn't say that's important._ With the diner finally empty after one hell of an evening, Ennoshita took off the unflattering red apron for the last time. _He knows too much, and Seijou isn't as omniscient as the rest of the star system believes._

_They have an inside source, and they want to use me as a cover._

Ennoshita left the apron on a table as he walked out the door; he wouldn't be needing it anymore. _Let them arrest me. They need to know, and I'll pay the price to tell them._

_There's an agent of Seijou on the ship._

* * *

He stayed one last night in the hellhole he rented. Hours were spent thinking and reanalyzing everyone he knew on the team before he wore himself out enough to sleep, his first dreamless night in over two months. _The Tanaka in my dreams must know I'm going back._

_I doubt the real Tanaka will be happy to see me after what I did to him._

He donned the outfit washed once and left to rot in the back of his bottom drawer - black pants and black turtleneck, topping off the set with the leather gloves. He carefully laid the napkin with the sketch of himself as a spy atop the others in the box - _My first keepsake._ \- before carefully securing the lid.

He left the door unlocked as he walked out, never to return.

_There's one last place I need to visit._

* * *

Waiting outside of the tattoo shop for Saeko’s arrival was almost as nerve-wracking as the prospect of turning himself in, the 39 minutes spent sitting on the cold windowsill and internally rehearsing his monologue. _I still have no idea what to say._

“Oi, Minato! You look outta place here! I’ve only ever seen ya at the diner.” Even first thing in the morning, Saeko was bright and cheerful. She glanced over his attire and the box in his hands with a quirked eyebrow. “And you’re dressed all doom-and-gloom.”

“Could we talk in private?” He hadn’t meant to ask quite so solemnly, but after 39 minutes of a complete mess of internal monologue, he’d forgotten he wanted to approach this with some degree of optimism.

Both brows were raised now as she looked at him with concern, but she didn’t question it. “Sure thing.”

With the turn of a key and the clatter of the shutter as she raised it, the doorway to the tattoo shop was open, but Ennoshita stood at the threshold as if an invisible barrier held him at bay. “Are you a vampire or something? Need permission to come inside?”

“Uh,” Ennoshita looked up at the device protruding just above the doorway, “could you turn off the cameras?” A suspicious request, but she didn’t hesitate to find the controls behind the counter and power them down, the blinking red light overhead slowing to a stop. _She’s too trusting with friends. Her brother takes after her._ He stepped past the imaginary barrier, carrying the box of napkins in one hand and turning the lock behind him with the other. He scanned the inside of the shop as he walked towards the counter, taking stock of all he couldn’t see well enough through the window; a monitor on a counter showing off a few tattoos she'd done, a door that must have led to other rooms where she took her customers, a corkboard covered in photos of tattoos, and...

A familiar face in one photo caught his attention. Beside Saeko - or rather, trapped under her arm - was the man that occupied Ennoshita’s free thoughts, the man that sent his heart racing when he said his name and sent a flurry of butterflies in his stomach with every little touch. Half of Tanaka’s frustrated pout was obscured by his sister's chest as he tried to shove her away. _He looks younger here._

“My little brother catch your eye?”

In another photo beside it, Ryuunosuke stood alone, wearing a smile that rivaled his sister's. With his hands on his hips, Ennoshita could make out some of the tattoo on his left arm, the tail of the dragon almost reaching his elbow. _This is before the ambush, but his smile is just as bright now as it was then._

_I miss his smile so much it hurts my chest._

“He's handsome,” Ennoshita finally replied in almost a whisper, eyes fixed on the dazzling smile he hadn't seen in person for too long now.

“He's a looker, right? I'll introduce you two next time he comes around. You're his type.”

_Next time he comes around? But…_ But he was legally declared dead; there was no doubt someone told her he was gone. _Is she still in denial after all this time?_ It had been four years since Tanaka’s ambush, and he mentioned he hadn't seen her since. _I need to ask her, but first…_ “I'm his type, huh?”

“Definitely.” She leaned her elbows on the counter to rest her chin in her hands. “Pretty. Mysterious. You got a sort of soft look to ya, too. I bet you'd drive him crazy.”

_It goes both ways._ “Did you give him this dragon tattoo?”

“Yup. He cried like a baby the whole time. He got rid of the pictures though. Destroyed all evidence.”

_Thanks for the teasing fuel, Saeko._ It would be far too much fun to watch him squirm at the accusation. _If he even wants to speak to me ever again, nevermind the fact that I’ll probably be locked up after this._ “Sounds like you two are close...” _Here goes._ “Do you see him often?”

“Nah.” Hearing her hesitation, her pause to find the words hurt; Saeko’s momentary silence cut like a blade. “He's a soldier,” she began after a few seconds that stretched on for far too long. “Got word he was killed in action a few years back.”

“I'm sorry.” _I'm sorry they told you that he died, I'm sorry you've been left to mourn alone, I'm sorry you were made to believe-_

“He’s not dead.”

Before he could ask anything, all the questions swimming in his head - _How do you know? Who told you? Have you spoken to him?_ \- she continued, her voice raising with her determination. “There just ain't no way. I know my baby brother. Nothing can take him down, not yet. Not for a long time.” The fire in her voice was just as much irritation as it was enthusiasm. “And I'm sick of everyone thinking I'm in denial. I did my research, damn it. I know sometimes shit happens and they gotta lie for his safety or some bullshit like that. I know that has to be it. I feel it, ya know? My baby brother ain't dead, I just know it.”

Ennoshita felt numb, numb to everything except the sinking weight in his gut.

_I'm an asshole._

Saeko had every reason to believe he was dead; they _told_ her he was dead, official word he was killed in action.

But she never stopped believing in him.

Ennoshita had every reason to believe he was unstoppable; knew he had survived against all odds before. _He even promised me he'd be more careful._

_But I ran away because I didn't believe in him._

_I'm such an asshole._

Her voice when she continued was nearly a whisper, another dagger in his gut. “I just wish he'd hurry up and come see me already.”

_No, no, no, don't lose hope, not you, you can't-_ “Saeko...” _I'm in trouble enough as is. If they extend my sentence for this, then so be it._ He glanced over his shoulder at the locked door before approached the counter, resting the box of napkins on it to tug at the fingers of his right glove. “Do you remember what I told you? About being on a ship?”

She narrowed her eyes, a minor annoyance at the sudden subject change. _She must think I’m a jerk for bringing up my ‘fairytale’ now._ “What of it?”

“I wasn’t lying. Mostly, anyways. I’m not a spy, but…” She looked incredulous, brows furrowed in concern as if he was delusional, and he could hardly blame her. “I’m an infiltrator. _Was_ an infiltrator. Look.” He pulled off his glove, offering his hand palm up on the counter. “I had my fingerprints removed so that I don’t leave any evidence. It’s the only proof I can give, but…”

She blinked down at his hand, hesitantly wrapping her fingers around it to bring it closer to her eyes. “No way. You’re serious? The shit you told me was true?”

“Mostly. I exaggerated a little. I didn’t think I’d be telling you the truth.”

She peered up from his hand to his meet his eyes. “Why _are_ you telling me the truth?”

He almost stuttered the words, his voice threatening to fail him. The attempts of monologue he rehearsed in his head were gone, half the words floating around in his mind but each out of grasp, hardly coming together to make the right sentences. _What do I say, how do I say this, why is this so hard…_ He focused on the hand still holding his, the soft fingers warm against his palm. “Do you remember when I said that I worked with a few heroes who were declared dead?”

The soft fingers turned hostile, painted nails digging into his palm as she growled through clenched teeth. “Don’t you _dare_ tease me on this, don’t you-”

“Ko, please, I’m serious!” he pleaded, the whimper cracking his voice doing nothing to stop her grip. _Stay calm for her sake._ He took a deep breath as he tried to grasp the words again. “I wouldn’t lie about this. Your brother’s name is Ryuunosuke, right? He’s my height, gets excited when the younger crew call him ‘senpai’, would glare at a lamppost for being in his way.”

Her grip remained unrelenting, but her face… There was something different there, something hopeful gleaming in her bewildered eyes. “You mean it? He’s… He’s really alive?”

“He really is, Saeko.” Ennoshita did what he could to wrap his hand around hers, fingers barely curling around hers from the angle. “I promise to you. He’s alive and safe.” Her grip finally loosened enough that he could properly hold her hand, a gentle grasp around her fingers. “He told me about you. He said that you raised him. And,” Ennoshita’s lips curled into a guilty smile, “between you and me, he said you’re his hero. He told me not to tell you because you’d never drop it.”

Saeko sucked in a sharp breath, pressing the palm of her other hand to one of her eyes, tears threatening to pool in the corners. But her smile was dazzling. “That little shit,” she sniffled, with a pause that could have been either a laugh or a sob. “I’d better be his hero after this shit he put me through. Why’d they tell me he was dead?”

“Something happened to him. Something confidential.” Ennoshita brushed his thumb over her knuckles; their linked hands was as much a comfort for him as it was for her, something soothing that warmed his chest at the contact. “He’s okay now, but he wasn’t for a while. I can’t say much more. But as soon as he can, he’s coming straight here to you.”

Saeko wiped at her eyes with the back of her arm, the tears threatening to spill over. She let out a sob as her eyes were hidden, returning the gentle squeeze Ennoshita gave her hand with a squeeze tight enough to crack his knuckles. “S’that why you’re here?” she finally asked after another sob. “Is it something to do with what happened to him?”

“No. It’s just fate playing games. I genuinely ran away and ended up here by chance.” He squeezed the hand in his again, hesitating to say the words. _I don’t deserve to be his Connected after what I did. Talking about it feels like a confessing a sin._ “But I think it’s because he’s my Connected.”

“Connected?” She wiped at her cheek, sniffling a little more as the tears subsided and left her eyes swollen. “No shit. He always wanted a Connected. Watched sappy movies about it all the time.”

“Is that so?” Under any other circumstance, Ennoshita would have loved to hear that - to hear how much their meeting must have meant to Tanaka after all, to hear that he was granting Tanaka’s wish with their kisses. _Instead, I ruined it all. If he ever forgives me…_ Over the past three months, he daydreamed about it all with Tanaka - from holding hands to kisses to far more. But he never dared to daydream about his forgiveness. It was too much to hope for; the kisses, at least, were so unrealistic that he could mark it off as just a crazy thought. _If he ever forgives me and gives me another chance, I’ll spend a lifetime making it up to him._

“Wait a sec. If you’re his Connected, and that whole story about the ship is true,” she leaned over the counter, a motion Ennoshita was well familiar with this point; she never seemed to notice or care about the cleavage showing over her tanktop. “Is my little brother the guy you kissed?”

“I-!” He tried not to stammer at the blunt accusation, but his words were failing him miraculously for the umpteenth time that morning. “Being Connected doesn’t mean anything, you know! It’s just! Ah…”

“It is! You totally fell for my little brother!”

He turned away from her gaze to stare at a wall instead, a little bit embarrassed to hear it directly and more than a little bit ashamed. _He kissed me, and I-_

Her right hook was a good one, Ennoshita had to admit - too quick to dodge, and perfect aim right at his jaw. Great impact, too. If Ennoshita was in the mental state to rate it, he’d place the punch at a solid 8.3 out of 10, but at the moment all he could think to do was press his free hand against his aching jaw and stare at her in shock.

“You kissed my little brother and then you _left?!”_ Her hand in his squeezed tightly, too tightly. “If you broke his heart, I’ll make you regret it!” Before he could defend himself, before he could whine to her about all his regrets that he’d spent weeks whining about to himself, she continued, “I’m going to write a letter to Ryuu, and you’re going to give it to him and apologize for leaving! And you’re going to bring him back to me so I can kick his ass for not coming to me sooner! That’s your job as my brother-in-law, you got that?!”

‘Brother-in-law’ was hardly accurate, but he wasn’t about to argue with her - not after she punched him, and not after guiltily enjoying the title. _Only in my wildest dreams in a far off future is that possible._ “I’ll do that if you promise not to punch me again.”

“I ain’t promising anything.”

* * *

The sweat dripping down his cheek as he stood in front of the Karasuno Operations headquarters wasn’t from the wave of evening heat.

_I must be a masochist._

Ennoshita could only smile at his poor choices that brought him back to here. _Walking back into this fire is hardly the worst of them._ With a final deep breath, he walked through the door and into the fire, ready to burn to repent and tell them of the shadow of Seijou hiding in their midst.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AAAAHH [LOOK AT THIS ART](http://starlity.tumblr.com/post/153667390897/for-morisuke-kun-because-the-latest-chapters-of) BY [STARLITY](http://starlity.tumblr.com/) AAAAAHHH
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	11. out of reach

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Shiratorizawa’s made their decision on what to do with Ghost.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Word count: 12,957  
> [Sia - Soon We'll Be Found](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1x8DMfbYN4)

Flying the ship was the second worst part of Tanaka’s job, right behind ‘waiting for decision-makers to make up their damn minds’.

Flying was easy work, and that was the problem. It was just so. damn. _boring._ Unless trouble showed up, there was no need for a pilot. Even if trouble _did_ show up, Suga could give a warning.

So “flying” was really just... sitting around.

Sometimes Tanaka played handheld games. Sometimes he watched some cheesy movie on a holographic monitor. Most times, he let the dull hum of the ship lull him to sleep, his eyes drooping as his drowsy mind wandered to thoughts of-

“ENNOSHI- GAH!!”

Tanaka would never admit that Suga’s shout made him jump a good three feet, but he would easily admit he snickered at the AI tripping over his stupid robot feet and eating a nice faceful of steel flooring. That _bzzt_ sound coming from a limb or two was _probably_ not good, but Yaku’s works were made of strong stuff. Suga’s muffled “M’okay!” was mostly eaten by the floor, but he managed to raise an arm and give a twitchy thumbs up.

“Suga-san, with all due respect - what the hell?”

Suga opened his hand, a small holoscreen popping up from the dime-sized holoprojector in the center of his palm. _Can’t decide if that’s creepy or cool as hell._

Tanaka’s internal debate over Suga’s holoprojector was instantly forgotten the moment the footage started playing; the quality of the security footage wasn’t the greatest, but he didn’t need great or even decent quality to recognize the figure walking into the Karasuno Operations headquarters. The black attire from his toes up to his chin, the elegant stride, the careful movements as the security guards surrounded him with their weapons locked onto him - Tanaka’s breath caught in his throat; if his heart stopped, he wouldn't have noticed. Hell, the command center down the hall could be blowing up and he wouldn't notice anything other than Ennoshita on the screen.

Ennoshita remained quiet as the guards shouted demands to drop what he was carrying; each of his motions were slow and careful as he complied, sinking to his knees and gently placing the box in his hands on the ground. He pushed it across the floor as far as his arm would allow. His voice - _“It’s fragile, please be careful,”_ \- was water after walking through the desert; Tanaka needed more, needed to choke on it, drown in it. The video cut off as Ennoshita placed his hands behind his head and the guards closed in on him.

Suga was saying something, but Tanaka couldn’t hear it; through the countless conflicting thoughts flooding in, - _I’m going to give him a piece of my mind, Thank the gods he’s safe, I’ll show him not to break my damn heart, I’ve missed him so damn much it hurts,_ \- he could only concentrate on spinning his chair to face the control panel and setting course for Soren.

* * *

“Slow down, Tanaka.”

“Outta my way, Daichi-san, I’m gonna show ‘im-”

“You’re going to show him nothing.” Daichi folded his arms across his chest in front of the Karasuno Headquarters main entrance, blocking Tanaka’s path. “You changed course, _without my permission,_ before I could ask what his situation is. You’re lucky I was able to get in contact with Captain Ushijima and Detective Moniwa.”

Tanaka balled his hands into fists so tightly, the blunt nails on his right hand were digging into his skin. He didn’t spend three months dealing with this bullshit whirlwind of emotions to be stopped here when the asshole responsible was finally in reach, finally close again. “Let me through,” he snarled between his clenched teeth.

The captain stepped closer, too close, his nose mere inches away from Tanaka’s. His piercing glare made up for the difference in height to loom over his subordinate. “Stand down, Tanaka.”

Tanaka met his challenge with a sneer, a flash of vicious teeth.

“Tanaka, if you want Ennoshita back on the team. You’ll. Stand. _Down.”_

Tanaka obeyed with a growl, brows furrowed and nose wrinkled hard enough to strain as he slowly took a step back. His captain continued to stare him down, hard, until the rage boiling in Tanaka’s chest weakened to a simmer; his forced “Yes, sir” was nothing but steam.

“If it were up to me, you'd be waiting on the ship."

"What the hell, Daichi-san?!" Tanaka snapped, loud enough to make an office worker walking by flinch.

"In case you're wondering, it's because of that. If you're not capable of showing your captain respect, you're unfit for dealing with anyone else,” Daichi stated firmly, but plainly. No hint of anger. No hint of anything. “How we present ourselves here will play a role in what happens to him. If Shiratorizawa thinks we can't control our emotions, letting him back on the ship will no longer be an option.”

Shiratorizawa.

Whether Ennoshita joined the team, got thrown into solitary confinement, or… or worse, the ultimate precaution to keep all his stolen information secret for good - Ennoshita’s fate was in Shiratorizawa’s callous grasp.

"After what Ennoshita did, all of us on the ship can hardly blame you for getting pissy. But we're not the ones making that decision.” Daichi stepped forward again, getting in Tanaka’s personal space and jabbing him hard in the chest with his index finger. “So suck it up. If you lash out like that again, I'm sending you back to the ship, and you can kiss Ennoshita's chance back on the team good-bye."

Daichi's words were a frigid wave washing over him, soaking through his skin and chilling him down to the bone. Tanaka straightened up begrudgingly, saluting to his commander and replying just as coldly. "Yes, sir."

Daichi’s stern frown was his final warning before he turned around, pushing through the door and walking into the same entrance where Ennoshita was caught on camera just hours ago. "Detective Moniwa told me Ennoshita has something for our ears alone. I need you to wait outside of the interrogation room and keep track of his heart rate in case he's lying."

Tanaka glared at Daichi’s back as they walked. Ennoshita was going to be right there, and Daichi expected him to just wait outside and watch from some shady two-way mirror? "Let me go in with ya."

_"No,_ Tanaka."

"Why the hell- Why not, _sir?"_

_"Because we need the both of you to stay calm,"_ Suga explained through the personal comm. _"Since we don't know how he feels, the least we can do is keep a wall between you two as assurance. My body isn't equipped with scanners to check his heart rate, so I'm staying on the ship and analyzing his voice..."_

Suga’s voice, Daichi’s figure, the hallway around him, everything faded away the moment Tanaka stepped close enough to feel the familiar pull, the fire in his chest that burned hotter with every step closer to the interrogation room.

_I feel him._

He was there, at the other side of the building at the end of some long ass hallway, he was _there,_ and so close again, so close to being-

_“Tanaka.”_ He looked up at Daichi calling his name, though most of the captain’s words slipped by him. “Do you get it now?”

“Let me see ‘im,” Tanaka argued once more, half-assed because he knew there was no winning the battle, but he didn’t have the strength to raise the white flag.

“You will see him. From the mirror. For now, we need to keep an emotional distance.”

Any further arguments died on his lips at the sight of Futakuchi turning the corner, his wide eyes locking onto Tanaka. “He’s here.” The detective grabbed Tanaka’s shoulders as soon as he was within reach, close enough to give Tanaka a better look at the dark circles under his eyes and the chaotic state of his hair. “He's _here.”_

Tanaka placed his hands on Futakuchi’s shoulders in return, not exactly sure why he felt the need to comfort the guy. “I know, I can-”

“No, you _don't_ know, he's-” Futakuchi pressed his closed fist against his mouth, taking a moment to compose himself. Unsuccessfully. “He never left the planet. He's been _here_ the whole time.” His voice just got higher and higher as he explained, cracking at the ‘i’ in ‘time’. “I watched- I watched all those security tapes. He hitchhiked. He didn’t- He didn’t even-”

“Chill. Relax. Take a deep breath-”

“I watched- I watched them so many times. You know that guy? With the bird shit on his head? I saw him the other day. Waved at him. Forgot I didn’t really know him. I…” Futakuchi brought his hands to his hair to tug at the strands, still bewildered eyes still locked onto Tanaka.

Tanaka shook the detective’s shoulders lightly, the tension he hadn't noticed in his own shoulders unwinding. _“You’re_ supposed to be comforting _me_ right now, remember? I’m the one with the emotional baggage.”

That helped. Somehow. “Me? Comfort someone?” Futakuchi took a step back, finally taking a deep breath. “You’re right.” With another deep breath, he repeated himself with a bit more certainty as he pat his hair back into an almost reasonable state. “You’re right. Not the ‘comforting’ part, but the ‘relax’ part. Shiratorizawa’s rep is here. Can't let him think I don't have a handle on this.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know, can't show him that we care about Chikara-”

“Pffft. Screw Ghost.” The detective wrapped his arm over Tanaka’s shoulders and started walking, pushing him past Daichi and ignoring the captain’s raised brows in their direction. “After all that, he can rot for all I care.” An exaggeration. Probably. Tanaka was pretty sure it was, anyway; Futakuchi wasn’t that much of an asshole. Probably. “I need to look like I have the upper hand over Shirabu. He brings out my petty side.”

“You mean your usual side?” Tanaka quipped halfheartedly, most of his focus flowing back to the burning sensation in his chest pulling him down the hallway.

“Fine. He brings out my petti _er_ side.”

Tanaka didn't bother to respond, or even really listen; all that mattered was the heart he could finally feel again in full as he drew near, Ennoshita’s heartbeat picking up speed as his own did with every step. _He's so close, I can see him again soon, I can-_

Everything that happened once they turned the corner was a blur. He could vaguely recall shaking some blond guy's hand when Futakuchi introduced him. He remembered the stranger's grimace when Futakuchi said something about “Tanaka’s out of it cause he has a bad cold,” _after_ the handshake. The detective’s stream of inane questions to the guy _(Shiradu?)_ went over his head when they reached their side of the two-way mirror, the display still off on their end as Daichi went into the interrogation room alone.

He could feel Ennoshita on the other side, feel his racing heart matching Tanaka’s own even if he couldn't see him yet. It was cruel that the first time he could sense Ennoshita's feelings so vividly was here and now, of all times; the guilt heavy in Ennoshita's chest from the other side of the glass clawed up Tanaka's ribs to tear at his chest.

_He deserves to feel guilty,_ he thought to himself, clenching his jaw so hard it hurt his teeth. The feeling was strong, but it wasn’t his, oh no. It only gave Tanaka petty satisfaction. _He should feel like hell, if he thinks I'm gonna forgive him he’s wr-_

The two-way mirror activated, and there sat Ennoshita - nervous eyes locked onto the table, shackled wrists faintly tremoring in his lap. His hair that drove Tanaka crazy was only about half its length, the bags under his eyes rivaled Futakuchi’s, a bluish bruise marked his jaw, his chin was broken out in acne-

_He's gorgeous._

It was getting harder and harder to hold onto his rage when Ennoshita hesitantly turned his way, the fury beginning to slip through his fingers grain by grain as Ennoshita searched for him from the corners of his pretty brown eyes.

Tanaka wanted to stay furious, wanted to catch the fury slipping through his fingers and cling to it desperately after weeks left alone to wonder and worry.

But seeing Ennoshita alive and safe, his pretty eyes under his knit brows searching for him... Tanaka’s relief was slowly unwinding the vice crushing his chest.

He could feel Ennoshita's aching through the glass when his eyes only found the two-way mirror. _Let him see me too, damn it._

Daichi spoke through his personal ear comm to Tanaka directly, even though he could be heard from the intercom beneath the mirror. “Are we ready?”

He needed to check Ennoshita’s heart rate as he spoke, but that was impossible, not when both their hearts were beating like this. “Give him a minute,” Tanaka replied through his comm. _Give us both a minute._

_Can he feel how badly I need him, too? Can he feel how badly he hurt me?_ Life was far too cruel to feel their hearts beat as one now, the wretched pounding of them both pulsing in his ears.

_I wanna tell him it's okay, I wanna tell him it’s_ not _okay, I wanna-_

When he shot his hand out towards the intercom button beneath the mirror, Futakuchi knocked into his side, shoving him out of reach. “I'm sure he'll _calm down_ in a minute.” The detective nudged his head towards the Shiratorizawa rep beside him as he emphasized the words.

“You’re his Connected,” the rep stated dryly, making no effort to mask his impatience. “Use breathing exercises.”

_Breathing exercises? How did Chikara do that again?_ Hell if he knew, but he had to try something, anything. He took a deep breath, holding it for a few seconds before he let it out at a count slower than he’d ever bothered with before. On the second deep breath, Ennoshita closed his eyes, taking the lead as he took his own deep breath. Tanaka watched the rise and fall of his chest, mimicking the count the best he could see. _He breathes in for… four? Then out at the same…_

_Breathe in, one, two, three, four…_

The tremor in Ennoshita’s hands slowed, the printless fingers Tanaka needed against his scalp falling still.

_Breathe out, one, two, three, four…_

Tanaka’s fingers relaxed as well, the balled up fists falling flat.

_Breathe in, one, two, three, four…_

The wrinkle between Ennoshita’s brows smoothed out, his lips barely parted, his closed eyes no longer squeezed roughly. A beautiful serenity gracing Tanaka’s view.

_Breathe out, one, two, three, four…_

Tanaka needed to reach out, to cup his bruised jaw gently, to kiss the crease above the bridge of his nose.

Ennoshita opened his eyes, turning his head towards the window to say, barely louder than a whisper, “Thank you, Tanaka.”

Tanaka breathed into to four one last time, needing to steady his own heart after finally hearing his name from those lips again.

“Are we ready now?” Daichi asked, a bit more sympathetic this time.

“He’s good now,” Tanaka confirmed through his personal comm.

Daichi got straight to business. “You said you have something to tell us. What’s so secretive you refused to tell Detective Moniwa?”

“It’s secretive because of its nature. The fewer people that know, the better,” Ennoshita replied in an equally assertive tone, stealing another glance at the mirror. “Is there anyone listening with Tanaka? Please, secrecy is crucial here.”

Daichi nodded towards the glass, and the three on the other side glanced at one another before Futakuchi reached for the intercom button. “Sergeant Shirabu and I are here. But don’t expect us to leave.”

“Detective Futakuchi?” Ennoshita frowned when Daichi nodded in agreement. "Is there no way I could tell Daichi-san in private? The more that hear, the riskier it is. I didn't turn myself in to ruin this."

Shirabu scowled, though it didn't look much different from the unimpressed expression he'd been wearing up till now. "Prisoner, enough stalling. We'll be the ones deciding the confidentiality of this supposed information you have."

Ennoshita eyed the mirror reluctantly, a thumb running across a shackle - the shackle Tanaka once removed, leaving Ennoshita in grateful tears a lifetime ago - around his wrist. "But if more hear..."

"You can tell us here, now, or you can sit in solitary confinement in silence until you're willing to talk," Shirabu stated plainly, casually suggesting to speak or suffer.

The thumb rubbing over the shackle continued, hard enough that Tanaka could catch the resistance on Ennoshita's skin as the cuff unrelented its tight grip on his wrist. "Fine." Gone was Ennoshita's assertive tone, defeat taking its place and waving a white flag. "I believe there’s an agent of Seijou on the Karasuno ship.”

_...The hell?_

An agent of Seijou on the ship would mean a spy, a _traitor_ reporting their secrets to a boogeyman who could control them like puppets, pulling their secrets like strings.

One of their own, one of the _team,_ working behind their backs. That was impossible, there was no way any of them would...

But Ennoshita's heart remained calm. _He ain't lyin' about it?_ At the very least, that meant he believed it earnestly. _Maybe he's wrong, maybe he’s... Shit, he's too clever to be wrong about something like this, ain't he?_

Ennoshita’s declaration was met with a stunned silence and questioning glances at one another before Shirabu spoke through the comm again. “I hope you’re prepared to give a valid argument.”

“Yahaba found me. He was trying to convince me to join the team again to spy for him. I believe he intended to use me as a cover in case anyone grew suspicious of the real agent.”

“What makes you think there’s an agent on the ship?” Daichi asked.

“Yahaba knew too much. He knew about Johzenji and the attack. He knew it was me specifically that ratted him out. He even knew about…” Ennoshita hesitated, eyes darting to the mirror for a brief moment, “about what went down inside our ship after the attack. Only someone with access to our- your cameras would know that much.”

“Has anyone in Shiratorizawa checked their ship’s internal cameras?” Futakuchi asked Shirabu.

“No. Our focus was on the attack outside,” he confessed. “Did anyone in Dateko check?”

“Just me.”

“Anything noteworthy?”

“Only if you’re a voyeur.”

Shirabu narrowed his eyes at Futakuchi but didn't press further on the subject. "So that confirms the potential agent is limited to the ship?"

"We'll need to double-check no one else watched, but I'm positive no one else in Dateko bothered with the internal cameras."

"Same with Shiratorizawa. I'll check to be certain." Shirabu held down the intercom button again. “Prisoner, do you have any substantial proof?”

“...Nothing substantial, no,” Ennoshita confessed, glancing up at Daichi. “I wouldn’t turn myself in just to lie about this. That’s… That’s all I have.”

Daichi folded his arms across his chest, meeting Ennoshita's pleading gaze. "Tanaka, is he lying?"

_He’s gotta be, right? If he was willin’ to just leave after- after all that… What’s to stop him from doing something like lyin’ too?_

But Ennoshita's heart remained calm, the steady beat confirming what Tanaka didn't want to acknowledge. Even if he didn’t want to believe it, even if Ennoshita proved himself less than trustworthy, Tanaka couldn’t bring himself to believe he’d lie; Ennoshita’s calm heart was its own misplaced relief. Tanaka brought his finger up to his ear comm, Futakuchi still blocking the intercom button. "He's tellin' the truth," he muttered to Daichi.

_"Voice analysis gives the same results. There's nothing irregular that suggests he's lying,"_ Suga confirmed.

Daichi squeezed his eyes shut, quiet for a moment. "My AI says there's nothing suspicious in his voice analysis," he reported aloud for Futakuchi and Shirabu.

Someone betrayed them. Someone betrayed their _captain._

Shirabu removed his hand from the intercom button, turning to Futakuchi. “If he’s not lying, could the attack have come from inside the ship?”

“Nope.” Futakuchi grinned, far too satisfied with having a better idea of the situation. “It’s not impossible the agent gave their location away, but that’s not how Seijou works. _Everything_ they can get information from is an asset to them. They wouldn’t blow up a ship with one of their own inside, especially if it gives them a link to military intel.”

“You’ll need to review the cameras before the attack to be sure.”

“You know, you’ll get more from searching anything that could give an outside signal. Laptops, phones-”

“I’m sure you have plenty of time to check all of that _and_ the tape now that you failed to catch your target before he turned himself in.”

Futakuchi glared at Shirabu, though the sergeant played oblivious, his focus on the prisoner and captain on the other side of the glass.

Daichi finally opened his eyes, sighing in frustration. “There’s not many of us on the ship, Ennoshita. Could Narita or Kinoshita be the agent?”

“I… I don’t think so.” Ennoshita paused, hands still rubbing the shackles as he thought it over. “Those two never gave me a reason to suspect they were working behind my back, even when I was suspicious of everything else while I was on the run last year.”

“I’ll call them in for questioning just in case,” Futakuchi confirmed to Shirabu before the sergeant could ask.

“Do you have any idea who it could be, then?” Daichi continued.

Ennoshita shook his head, regretful gaze cast down at the table. “Even with the research I did on everyone’s backgrounds, no one has any leads or motives that could link them to Seijou, as far as I know. Hopefully it’s not you or Suga-san, considering the circumstances.” Ennoshita slumped a little in his seat. “I doubt it’s Tanaka. He just… he wouldn’t.”

“I’m sure he appreciates the blind faith, but we’re going to need a better reason than ‘He wouldn’t’,” Daichi replied.

“R-right. He…” Even if Ennoshita couldn’t look directly at him when he glanced in his direction, those eyes he missed too damn much searching for him was enough to set Tanaka’s heart racing again. “He always surrounds himself with others. He even sleeps with his door open. He wouldn’t have the opportunity to report to Seijou. And… and it’s just not in him.” Ennoshita’s gorgeous eyes looking his way, searching for him, and the faint curl of his lips when he spoke of him were all gifts Tanaka thought he’d never experience again. “You won’t find anyone on your ship more loyal than Tanaka. There’s nothing he cares more about than helping others.” His voice dropped with his head, his bashful gaze directed at the table. “If you can’t trust him, there’s no one worth trusting.”

Tanaka struggled to catch the grains of anger still slipping through his fingers. _If he thinks he can get on my good side just like that, he's got another thing comin',_ Tanaka told himself, though he knew, he _knew_ he was losing the battle with every time Ennoshita spoke his name, with every glance towards the mirror, with every grain escaping his grasp.

“Sorry to interrupt your horribly cheesy moment,” Futakuchi began through the intercom without any real hint of remorse, “but you haven’t given us a solid reason besides his lack of opportunity to report to anyone.”

“I thought you were on my side,” Tanaka grunted.

“I’m on the side of _justice.”_

“Now who’s being cheesy?”

“Check his laptop. I don’t think he’s ever used it,” Ennoshita replied, unwittingly interrupting the bickering he couldn’t hear from his side of the mirror. “I don’t think he has a phone either. He has no way to contact Seijou.”

“Why don’t you have a phone?” Futakuchi asked.

Tanaka shrugged. “What good is it if I can’t call my sis? The comm for the team is all I need.”

“Is there anything else you need to tell us?” Daichi asked Ennoshita with a degree of finality.

Ennoshita fiddled with his shackles again, running his thumb over the white band. “N-no, sir.”

“Captain Sawamura, I’d like to ask him additional questions with Detective Futakuchi alone,” Shirabu demanded through the intercom. Daichi bowed his head politely at Ennoshita, Ennoshita returning the gesture before Daichi turned towards the door.

_That's it?_

Sure, Ennoshita's news was big. It was _huge_ \- but it wasn't what Tanaka came here to hear. He had questions, dozens of them - _Where did you go, Why did you come back, Did you think about me,_ the list went on and on. But there was one that stood out above the rest, one that scratched in his mind over and over for the past three months, and Daichi was just about to _leave_ without asking?

Tanaka shoved Futakuchi out of the way, slamming the button to the intercom with too much force. "Why the hell did you leave?!"

His shout startled all who could hear, each of the four flinching in varying degrees and turning their heads to face him. But he only caught Ennoshita's reaction; jumping in his chair, shackles clattering against the underside of the table, wide eyes fixed on the mirror separating them.

Daichi shouted back, something about returning to the ship, and Futakuchi was saying something about calming down while he tried and failed to pry Tanaka's hand off the button, but Tanaka ignored all of it. Fuck whatever or whoever tried to get in his way, he was getting his damn answer, here and now. "Why did you leave?! Why did you _leave me?!"_

“Tanaka-!” Ennoshita shot out of his seat, all hesitation gone at the sound of Tanaka’s strained voice. “I'm sorry, I'm so sor-”

Ennoshita's sudden apology was cut as quickly as it began when Daichi yanked him back down into the seat by the back of his shirt. “The both of you need to settle down this instant. This is not the time or place for this!”

_Shit, not now, Daichi-san!_ Tanaka needed to hear it, needed to hear Ennoshita apologize and plead for forgiveness, needed to hear it wasn't his fault Ennoshita left, needed to hear Ennoshita missed him and wanted to be by his side again.

“Theatrics aside, he has a valid question.”

Tanaka caught the calm expression of the Shiratorizawa sergeant on the opposite side of Futakuchi from the corner of his eye. “Prisoner,” Shirabu continued plainly, unfazed by Tanaka’s outburst, “for what reason did you abandon your duty and violate your agreement to work off your pardon?”

Ennoshita turned away from the mirror, hand caressing a shackle in his lap again. “I… got scared.”

_“There’s something off in his voice analysis,”_ Suga supplied. _“I don’t believe he’s lying per se, but he’s nervous. I suggest pressing him further.”_

Daichi nodded, palms flat against the table as he leaned on it beside Ennoshita. “Ennoshita, did you leave because of the attack?”

Ennoshita’s gaze darted from Daichi, to the table, to the wall opposite of the mirror. His left leg bounced from the ball of his foot on the floor. “Yes. I was scared of the attack.”

His heart picked up the moment Tanaka first shouted for answers, but it grew erratic now, beating to the unsteady rhythm of his bouncing leg. _He’s lying. Why the hell is he lying to me?!_ “I know you’re bullshitting! What’s the truth, Chikara?”

“Tanaka…” Ennoshita didn’t flinch this time at Tanaka’s shouts, worried eyes cast stealing a quick glance at the mirror before turning away. He shrunk in on himself, shoulders pulled closer together as he rested his elbows on the table to hide his face in his hands. “Please, not here, I… I can’t…”

Ennoshita slumped over in his chair, the leg bouncing and hands trembling leaving Tanaka torn between shouting again to press for the answer Ennoshita was trying to hide, or breaking in to wrap his arms around him, to hold him tightly until he was ready to talk.

“I suggest you answer his question, prisoner.”

Daichi’s glare was a reminder of his only real options; stay composed until Ennoshita answered Shirabu’s question, or risk doing something else stupid in front of the Shiratorizawa sergeant and eliminating Ennoshita’s chance back on the team. So he stood in irritated silence with his hand on the intercom button, refusing to move from his spot.

Ennoshita let out a shaky breath, lowering his hands just enough to link his fingers together and press them against his mouth as he stared at the table, refusing to meet Daichi’s gaze. “I left because I’m an asshole. I got scared that…” He spread the palms of his still linked hands, ducking his head just enough to shield his eyes behind them. “I got scared that Tanaka would get hurt some day. What he does is dangerous and… and I… I couldn’t take it. If I lost him, I… I couldn’t bare the thought. So I ran.”

All of Tanaka’s thoughts halted, an overwhelming silence conquering his mind and prickling down his neck.

So he _did_ leave because of him, but…

“I, uh, don’t understand, exactly.” Daichi lifted a hand off the table to scratch his sideburn. “You ran because you were scared of losing him? That’s… a little backward, isn’t it?”

“No, it’s...” Ennoshita let out a sigh, unlinking his fingers to run them through his hair, but his arm still hid his eyes from Tanaka’s view. “Yes. Yes, it’s completely backward. I admit it. But I was so scared of losing him that… that I would have rather forgotten him than get my heart broken.”

_He wanted to…_ “Did you forget me?” Tanaka asked quietly, his voice failing to catch up to him.

The fingers running through Ennoshita’s hair stilled, his wave of ache from his side of the glass strong crashing strong in Tanaka’s chest. “Not for a single minute,” he said ruefully, in little more than a whisper.

“That’s enough for now,” Daichi told him calmly, resting a hand on his shoulder.

_“His voice analysis is positive,”_ Suga reported, his soft voice barely catching even directly in Tanaka’s ear. _“He’s telling the truth.”_

_The truth._ The truth of why he left. _He was scared to lose me._ The truth if he thought about Tanaka, too. _Every minute._ The detective and the sergeant beside him were talking, but he couldn’t catch it over the blood beating in his ears and Ennoshita’s words racing through his mind over and over again. _“Not for a single minute.”, “I was so scared of losing him.”_

His grip over the button finally loosened enough that Futakuchi could pry his hand away. “Time for you to head out. Sergeant Shirabu and I are going in to question him now.”

“Can’t I stay here and listen?” Tanaka asked Futakuchi as quietly as he could muster while Shirabu worked on opening the interrogation room door.

Futakuchi shook his head. “Not this time, if this is about what I think it’s about. Stop pouting, it looks ridiculous on you.” Futakuchi glanced over his shoulder at Shirabu before he lowered his head to whisper, “It doesn’t seem it, but I think Ghost’s case looks good right now. Your outburst was _stupid,_ but knowing he left for personal reasons plus his information about Seijou works in his favor. It’ll be a few days before they come up with any solid decisions, so just keep a distance and don’t bother anyone about this until I can give you more details.”

Futakuchi turned to follow Shirabu into the interrogation room before Tanaka could argue. _I’m sick of waiting. I’ve done enough of it._ He looked back at Ennoshita through the glass, catching his red-rimmed eyes peeking in his direction before Shirabu turned off the display, the intercom going dead with the darkened window. _He’s really right damn there. It doesn’t seem real._

"Tanaka." He didn't tense up like he normally would as Daichi approached him, scolding his name; his attention was focused on the darkened mirror and the heartbeat calling to him from behind it. "What you did was-"

"Stupid. Yeah, I know," he muttered back, resting his forehead on the glass.

Daichi took his place beside Tanaka, leaning his back against the glass and folding his arms across his chest. "I'll save your punishment for when we hear what happens to him. If they let him out, maybe I'll make you scrub the airlock with a toothbrush." Tanaka could read between the lines - the unspoken _"If they don't lock him up"_ would be a punishment in itself. "If they give him a chance, would you want him back on the team?”

Tanaka scuffed his foot against a mark on the ground that caught his eye. “That ain’t my call, Captain.”

“You’re the one who was most affected by him leaving. If having him back on the team will cause problems, then we’ll find a new infiltrator.”

The words ‘a new infiltrator’ were a stab to his gut, a possibility he didn’t want to consider; if he wasn’t sure before, he was certainly sure now. “Of course I want him back,” Tanaka replied in little more than a whisper.

“Then let’s leave Dateko and Shiratorizawa to their business. I’ll put in word that he’s a valuable member of the team next time Shiratorizawa contacts us if they think he’s capable, but otherwise we-”

“Yeah, yeah. We don’t bother them. I get it,” Tanaka snapped with no real bite.

He followed Daichi down the hall reluctantly, not ready to distance himself from Ennoshita’s heartbeat again.

* * *

_Tic. Tic._

The tic of the second hand on the clock echoed off their silence.

_Tic. Tic._

“Why do we gotta talk here?”

_Tic. Tic._

“Because the ship may not be safe.”

_Tic. Tic._

With every click, Tanaka’s unease grew, each _tic_ crawling under his skin like tattoo needles tracing down his arm.

Ukai’s office was free of recording devices - triple checked for bugs, at Takeda’s insistence. Despite the smell of smoke, the off-white walls and fluorescent lights gave the surprisingly organized room a sterile feel.

Kinda like a hospital.

Shit, he hated hospitals.

He hated being here instead of near Ennoshita, listening to his voice and giving him some small comfort while he was forced to sit in that steel room while Futakuchi and Shirabu threw question after question at him. He hated the long walk away from Ennoshita and his heartbeat; each step out of the fog that clouded his mind was a step into the new dilemma that Ennoshita forewarned.

He hated that there could be someone on the team, someone he _trusted,_ spying on them.

Ukai sat at the desk across from him and Daichi, the lit cigarette between his fingers idly streaming smoke. “If Ennoshita’s theory is correct…” _Tic. Tic._ “...we’ve got a problem on our hands. But it’s not as bad as you think.”

“Tell me what ain’t so bad about one of our own spyin’ on us,” Tanaka growled, each tedious _tic_ another match lighting the fire.

“‘Cause the damage is already done.” Ukai took a drag of his cigarette, turning his head to blow the smoke away. “Whoever it is, they already know all they can. And no doubt they’ve told Seijou everything.”

“Um, Ukai-san,” Daichi scratched the back of his neck, “how’s that a good thing?”

“I never said it was a good thing. Just said it’s not as bad as you think.” He shoved the cigarette into his ashtray face-down, putting out the cinders with the twirl of his fingers. “If they’ve got someone on board and already know everything, we’ve lost this battle months ago. But as long as we don’t piss them off, nothing changes. They like to know things, but they don’t like to stir the pot.”

“Futakuchi said somethin’ about us being an asset to them.”

“Precisely,” Ukai replied, pointing at Tanaka. “Seijou knowing everything won’t harm us unless we give them a reason to strike. So no witch hunts to find the traitor. Keep an eye open and be careful about what information gets out to the team, but just keep on doing what you’ve been doing. Don’t let them know we’re onto them. Takeda and I will work with Dateko to minimize the mess that’ll come out of this when we find the agent.”

_Tic. Tic._

Suga’s soft voice through the comm wasn’t enough to take the edge off his statement. _“So that leaves us with the big question.”_

_Tic. Tic._

“Who’s the asshole that’s working behind our backs?”

_Tic. Tic._

Tanaka recognized Ukai’s matching comm when he brought his finger up to it instinctively, forgetting about the camera Daichi pinned to his jacket. _“Sugawara, got any ideas?”_

Suga’s pause was heavy with reluctance, a soft _uhm_ sounding with the synthetic undertone. _Can't blame him. We've got a traitor and he's gotta run simulations or whatever AIs do like it's no big deal._ Suga finally continued, _“Asahi and Nishinoya’s hesitation to join and Kinoshita and Narita’s resignations make them the least likely. Shimizu’s former ties to corrupt parties make her the most suspicious.”_

“Shimizu’s ties are irrelevant. Her past is just that, Sugawara. If anything, that gives her less reason to act up. She knows she's on a thinner wire than others.”

_“You're right. I apologize for my assumption based on her background. It was rude. Updating my programming to be more considerate of such matters.”_

_If it ain't Kinoshita or Narita, and it probably ain't Kiyoko-san…_ Narrowing it all down made him sick to his stomach. It was easier when he wasn't putting faces and names to the title of “traitor”, easier when it was just a theory with vague details instead of a tangible idea he could turn over in his mind. His precious kouhai Hinata couldn't be working behind their backs and faking smiles, could he? Yamaguchi wasn't a perfect angel like some made him out to be, but he wasn’t a traitor, right? Did Kageyama even give a shit about anything besides engines and Hinata, enough that he'd turn on both? Tsukishima was still one of the team even if he was an asshole - it was hard to imagine him putting in the effort to stab them in the back, honestly. And Yachi… hell, there was no way he could imagine sweet, panicky Yacchan as a traitor.

“Don’t assume this is personal. It’s not likely whoever it is has a grudge against us. Their motives could be money, duty - anything, but not any personal vendetta. That's not how Seijou works.” Ukai reached for the dead cigarette in the tray by instinct, his hand retreating before it touched. “With that in mind, don't assume that someone wouldn't do this because they're an old friend. Even the least likely are still suspect.”

Even Asahi? Even Nishinoya? _Hell, why did Chikara say anything?_ Tanaka was starting to understand the meaning of ‘Ignorance is bliss’.

“Keep your eyes open but your mouths shut, got it? There's still a chance Ghost is wrong, and if he's not, we'll figure things out from our end. You're dismissed.”

Daichi and Tanaka rose to their feet in silence, only the shuffling of chairs and that terrible ticking clock filling the room as they departed.

_Too bad Chikara’s too damn clever to be wrong about something like this._

_Tic. Tic._

* * *

Waiting for decision-makers to make up their damn minds was always the worst part of his job - hell, he'd rather be flying the ship. Too many people with their heads up their asses arguing back and forth while there was shit to be done took more time than the actual missions. That’s why he liked Karasuno Operations - Ukai and Takeda were always quick to give orders, more focused on getting things done than debating the details.

But they still worked with Shiratorizawa and Dateko, and that meant waiting around for too damn long while they argued over what to do with the infiltrator.

It also meant spending the past three days waiting by the comm room.

The first day was the worst - Tanaka didn't want to leave the command center, wanted to be there front and center when they gave word. But that left him watching everyone that walked through with a suspicious eye, anger and guilt evolving into a tornado twisting in his gut and ripping through his chest. Telling Noya he didn't feel like talking, doubting everything he overheard Hinata and Yamaguchi say to each other, even giving Kiyoko the cold shoulder... He hated it, hated acting that way to them, but hated that he couldn't trust them, either.

The second day was manageable. Barely. It was a little easier when he considered what Ukai said in more detail; it probably wasn’t personal, just someone doing two jobs at once. Though one of those jobs was _technically_ backstabbing, maybe they just didn’t see it that way. Maybe they (wrongly) thought they were doing something for the greater good (somehow). He was grasping for straws, trying to find a reason to strike up small talk without overthinking all that sweet little Yacchan or painfully oblivious Kageyama had to say.

By the third day, he didn’t give a damn about the agent anymore. He couldn’t find it in himself to care anymore if someone was reporting to Seijou. What mattered was Ennoshita; three days, and not a single word about what was going on, not even a hint from Futakuchi. Daichi had to stop him several times from stomping off the ship and barging into Karasuno HQ.

He was about to give up for the night and retreat to Ennoshita’s bed when the message came in past midnight. “Daichi~! Ukai-san’s calling!”

“This late?” Daichi dragged his feet across the command center on his way to the comm room from the hall, stifling a yawn with one hand and gesturing to Tanaka to follow him with the other.

“Sorry about the time,” greeted Ukai’s projection that looked just as tired as Tanaka felt, circles under his eyes and struggling to pinch a cigarette from his box. “Kinoshita and Narita just got cleared of suspicion.”

Sure, that was good. Great. But not his concern at the moment. “What about-”

“Tanaka.” Daichi spread his arm out in front of Tanaka before he could step closer. “One thing at a time. Ukai-san, as relieved as I am to hear that, is there a reason it couldn’t wait till the morning?”

Ukai finally managed to pull a cigarette out from the rest of the pack, bringing it up to his lips. “They want to come back to the team. Were on their way with their belongings when we called them in, actually. If you need time to decide we’ll set them up in a hotel-”

“Do you think it’s wise to let them back considering what’s going on?”

“I do. No one let them in on the-” Ukai paused to choose his words carefully; an agent could have a way of listening in, “-situation. They think the questioning was about the attack. And if Dateko’s choice to clear them isn’t enough for you, then this way you can keep an eye on them.”

Daichi nodded, folding his arms across his chest. “Alright. Send them our way. It’ll be good to have them back.”

“No hesitation, huh?” Ukai grinned, letting the unlit cigarette sit idly between his lips.

“We need another engineer and pilot. Better them than a stranger, right?”

Tanaka let out an impatient growl to grab their attention - or at least he tried for ‘growl’ but it came out as more of an embarrassing whine.

Ukai raised an eyebrow before turning back to Daichi. “I’ll send the two over. Tanaka,” he glanced in Tanaka’s direction as he shuffled a lighter out of his pocket, “come to my office. _Straight_ to my office. If you make me wait long I’ll lock you out. I want to get out of here for the night already.”

It was Daichi’s turn to raise an eyebrow. “Is Tanaka in trouble?”

The projector didn’t catch the flame of his lighter quite right, glitching at the fire as he lit the cigarette. “Ennoshita left him a package. Dateko confirmed it’s safe. It’s not time-sensitive, but I’m sure he’s too impatient to wait.”

Tanaka was already turning towards the door before Ukai could say any more.

* * *

_Chikara’s here._

He couldn’t feel him from where he was standing, but he knew; he’d bet his good arm they threw him back in his old cell in one of basement levels. _I wanna go to him._ He almost let his feet carry him towards Ennoshita’s cell just to be near him, to feel his heartbeat, to hear his voice through the door.

_Damn it, why’s Ukai-san’s office gotta be in the opposite direction._ He forced himself down the dimly lit hall towards Ukai’s office, every step further away from Ennoshita feeling heavier and heavier, a ball and chain dragging from each ankle.

“I’m going home. Turn off the light when you’re done,” Ukai mumbled as a greeting when Tanaka stepped through. “And I’m taking his cell key with me, so don’t bother trying anything funny.”

“Wasn’t gonna.” He hadn’t thought that far ahead, in all honesty.

Alone in the room that smelled too strongly of smoke, he made his way to the desk clear of everything other than a nameplate, a laptop, and a box that looked like it had seen better days.

He tugged off the note taped to the top, something printed from Dateko he didn’t bother to read. He used a little more care when lifting the lid to reveal...

_...Huh? Napkins?_

Folded on top of what looked like a stack of napkins were two more pieces of paper, each marked with a number. He grabbed for the ‘1’ first, unfolding it to find handwriting he could best describe as ‘neat scratches’, hastily written but straight lines that made up the words scrawling down the page, with at least a quarter of the words scratched out.

 

> _Dear ~~Ryu~~  Tanaka, _
> 
> ~~_I wanted to_~~ _~~I should~~ I thought it would be a good idea to write a letter first to clarify something. The writer of the second letter thinks my name is Minato, and she punched me a few minutes ago, so ~~she scares me~~ I’m hesitant to correct her._

That explained the bruise on his jaw. Tanaka considered opening the second letter for a moment, curious to see who the hell would punch Ennoshita and then write a note, but he decided to save the suspense for after Ennoshita’s letter.

 

> _I’ve been collecting these napkins for a while now. ~~That sounds terrible when I write it out like that.~~ My first keepsake! ~~The top one is my favorite.~~_ _I’m leaving them to you to do what you will with them. I figured you might appreciate them._

Tanaka glanced at the box - if there was anything special about the napkins, the second letter was doing a good job of covering them. _Here’s hoping I’m missing something and he doesn’t just have a weird thing for napkins._ He went back to the letter, eyes scanning the next line.

 

> _There’s so much I want to tell you, so in case I don’t get the chance_

He put the letter aside, refusing to read any more. _He can tell me in person._ He was going to hear whatever it was Ennoshita had to say one way or another. If he had to fight everyone in Shiratorizawa to get the chance, he’d do it. Or at least get his ass kicked trying.

He reached for the second letter, his eyes catching the drawing on the napkin just underneath it. There was a familiarity to it, something in the lines that- _No way, it can’t-_ He pulled open the letter, a cursive he knew too well greeting him.

 

> _RYUU!!! Get back here so I can kick your ass!!!! Don’t be too hard on Minato I already punched him for you!!!! He’s a good guy he makes the best pancakes. He told me there were some reasons you couldn’t see me. They'd better be damn good_

The cursive grew shakier as it continued, and the ink running in two spots where the page had gotten wet and stayed wrinkled after it dried.

 

> _I miss my baby brother. You know you’re my world right?? Get back here quick!! It’s too quiet without you_

Tanaka scanned the page again, eyes following the curve of the letters strung together in disbelief.

_Sis?_

He read the letter again, and again, until the words jumbled together.

She knew he was alive. And she missed her baby brother.

Tanaka pressed the heel of his palm to one of his eyes. _I miss ya too, Sis._

He missed her beyond compare, a dull ache in his chest that had become a part of him the past four years. Waking up in the hospital to hear he couldn't see her again, not for five years or until he found his ambushers, was worse than the injury itself. No one could fill that hole left in her absence; she was his only family, his longest friend, his hero. He never realized just how much she meant to him until he couldn't hear from her at all.

_But now I got this._ He read the letter once more, setting it aside when a stray tear fell down his cheek and onto the paper to match the other two wrinkled spots. He wiped his cheek with the back of his hand before he eyed the box.

He pulled the top napkin off the stack, tracing his fingers over the dried ink. The sketch of the man framed inside of a bullet hole was no doubt Ennoshita, and it was no doubt drawn by his sis - he could see her style within the lines and the shading, and he’d recognize the silhouette in the suit anywhere, even with the lack of details. He could see the improvements from what he remembered of her sketches, too; catching Ennoshita’s likeness in just an outline was impressive. But her art had always impressed him.

He pulled out more napkins, sketch after beautiful sketch, each done in pen. Some were simple, outlines or cartoonish characters. Some were detailed beyond his imagination, fantasy creatures or celebrity faces. (Sometimes a mix of the styles - the stick figure knight fighting a glorious dragon was among his favorites.) Some napkins ripped from the pressure, most had scribbles in the corners to get the ink flowing, a few could show where the pen met its fate and was replaced by a different color.

But all were stunning to him, little pieces into the life of the sister he’d thought about every damn day.

And it was thanks to his Connected he had the chance to experience her again in this small way.

The last of the anger slipped through his fingers, only a few remaining grains settling between the cracks of his palms.

Tanaka searched through Ukai’s desk drawers for the key to Ennoshita’s cell in the off chance he was lying, keeping the light on as he left the room out of spite when he didn’t find it. (And regretting being petty once the door locked shut behind him.)

He took off down the hall, running towards the elevator. He tapped the elevator buttons impatiently, jamming the ‘B5’ button repeatedly and cursing under his breath as it sank close enough for Tanaka to feel Ennoshita further below.

The doors couldn’t open fast enough when it reached the last floor.

He could feel Ennoshita’s heartbeat as he drew closer.

Steady, at first. But with every step, it grew faster, and faster, until it was as erratic as his own when the door to his cell was finally in sight.

When the door was in arm’s reach he could feel the warmth bloom in his chest, Ennoshita’s quick heartbeat matching his own.

“Tanaka?” Ennoshita asked hesitantly from the other side, close enough that he must have been pressed against the door.

“I’m here,” was all Tanaka could think to say back, pressing his forehead against the cold door between them.

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, I-”

“Shh, shh, stop that.” Tanaka didn’t _want_ him to stop - a guilty part of him wanted to hear Ennoshita apologize over and over for his months of absence, but the part that missed him too damn much couldn’t bear to hear it without being able to hold him in his arms as he said it. “Tell me you’re sorry when I can hold ya, got that? Save it for then.”

Ennoshita didn’t respond right away, but when he did, it was high-pitched, desperate. “But I- What if we don’t get the chance, what if they don’t let me-”

“Enough of that. We’re gonna get the chance, you got that? Everything’s gonna work out. They’ll let you out, and then you can make it up to me.”

“What makes you so sure about that?”

“I got good intuition.” Tanaka pressed his palms against the door, wondering where Ennoshita’s hands were on the other side. Wherever they were, they weren’t where they needed to be - in his hands, fingers laced together. “And I’m gonna make damn sure I got to see you again. I’ll do whatever it takes. So stop your worryin’.”

“Don’t get into trouble when I can’t stop you, Tanaka.”

Tanaka let out a faint laugh. “If I get arrested, we can be roommates. Get matching orange jumpsuits.”

Ennoshita’s own faint laugh back was a start, a little taste of sugar to wash out the bad taste of the distance between them. “Sounds romantic. We could watch the stars together through the barred windows.”

“Could have dates over grits in the cafeteria.”

“Ugh.”

“What, don’t like grits?”

“No, not at all.”

“Good, cause I can’t stand ‘em either.”

“So our dates would consist of gagging over bad food together,” Ennoshita laughed, fueling Tanaka’s own relieved laughter.

He couldn’t run his fingers through Ennoshita’s hair, but he could do this - make him laugh, soothe his nerves. It must have been a horrendous few days of question after question in the unwelcoming interrogation room, and hell, he deserved to suffer through a horrendous few days after the months he put Tanaka through; but that didn't stop Tanaka from wanting to comfort him and his heart still racing on the other side. “This is good, yeah? We’re together here and now.”

Ennoshita was quiet before he started, softly, “Could we… Could we really be together? Would you take me back after what I did?”

Together... He let the memories of the past few months wash over him as he considered 'together'. Memories of waking up alone in a bed that haunted him, memories of long days waiting for news he knew wouldn’t come, memories of hours spent in Futakuchi’s office and his hope dwindling with every lost lead. “You put me through hell, ya know.”

“I’m sor-”

“Uh uh, save it, remember? No apologies yet.” It was hell, but it was hell ‘cause Tanaka cared too damn much, and that didn't change. He never doubted he'd want him back in his arms, never considered any other option. “You can make it up to me by makin’ them pancakes my sis wrote about.”

He couldn’t see Ennoshita, but it was easy to imagine him from the distance and relieved tone of his voice - pressed against the door like Tanaka was, closing his eyes as he sighed. “I’ll make them for you every morning. For as long as you’ll have me.”

“What if I want ‘em other times, too?”

Ennoshita’s amused huff barely made it through the door. “Absolutely not. I can’t have you getting tired of my one bargaining chip.”

“You’ll just hafta come up with something else, too.”

“Hm. What else would you want?”

Tanaka wasn’t one for hesitation, but the words caught in his throat. With a deep breath, he tried again, voice threatening to croak. “I’d like to kiss ya again.”

There was something that sounded suspiciously like a hiccup on the other side. “I’d- I’d like that, too.” Ennoshita’s voice was heavy as he spoke, cracking on the final syllable. “I want that more than anything,” he continued, choking on a sob.

Damn the door, damn the door for being in the way of pulling him closer and wiping his tears. “Hey, hey. Why’re ya cryin’? I’m right here. I’m right here, Chikara. There’s no need for that,” he tried to keep his own voice from failing him when he was powerless against the tears pooling in the corners of his eyes.

“Ry- Ryuunosuke,” Chikara whispered his name like a secret, a confession for his ears alone. It was the most beautiful sound to ever grace his ears. “Oh, Ryuu, I’m so- I missed you so much. I thought… I thought about you all the time. Even in my dreams.”

Three months of hell faded away like its own bad dream at the words. “You dreamed about me, huh?”

“Every night,” Chikara whispered back.

Every night he slept in Chikara’s bed, Chikara was somewhere else dreaming about him. “What did ya dream about?”

“Life.” Chikara paused, his voice coming from a different angle as he shifted against the door. “Life together. Silly things. Like brushing our teeth together. And fighting over the blankets.”

He wasn’t sure what he expected to hear when he asked, but that… that was better than anything he could have hoped for. “Sounds nice." He could feel the smile fighting its way to his lips at the idea; life together on the ship - life waking in the morning together and having breakfast together, spending their days laughing together as they cleaned their weapons and read boring datapad reports. "I’d like to have that with ya.”

“Yeah,” Chikara’s voice cracked again. “Yeah, I’d like that, too.”

“Hey, no need to cry, remember? We’ll have that.” The door beneath his fingertips was too cold, too cruel to keep Chikara out of his reach. “Tell me more about how ya thought about me all the time. I like that part.”

Chikara let out a weak chuckle. “I thought about you constantly, Ryuunosuke.” Damn, he never knew how badly he needed to hear Chikara say his name. “You were always on my mind. Everything I did, I would daydream about doing it with you. Or just seeing you… To see your smile again…” Chikara paused to sniffle, adding with another weak laugh, “I’d get in trouble for spacing out at work all the time. But I couldn’t stop thinking about you.”

Ryuu wanted to hear more, to hear all about how much Chikara missed him, but he couldn’t bear to hear him cry with the door keeping him a world away. “You got a job, huh?” he asked, his hoarse voice betraying him. “Weird to think about you gettin’ some normal job.”

Ryuu was grateful for the amusement in Chikara’s heavy voice. “I thought you said I look like I should work in a cubicle.”

“That was before I found out you were an adrenaline freak.”

“Ha. Then you won’t believe this: I worked at a diner. I waited tables.”

“You’re right. I don’t believe it.”

“You would have laughed if you’d seen me. I had to wear this terrible apron. And I used a fake name.” Chikara gave a thoughtful _hm_ before he continued. “That diner is where I met Saeko.”

His sis, the one person in the star system he wanted to see even more than Chikara, and Chikara got to see her, to see how she was doing... “Is she… is she doin’ alright? Is she good?”

“She's doing fine. Couldn't you tell by the bruise she gave me?” When Ryuu chuckled, Chikara continued, “She's fine, Ryuu. She misses you. She never believed you were dead. She always believed in you.”

_She always believed…_

Chikara must have heard Ryuu’s sniffle and stole the spotlight away instead of letting it shine pity on Ryuu. “You know, I didn't realize she was your sister for a long time. Someone…” Chikara hesitated for a moment, “someone else pointed it out to me.”

“Who told ya?”

“Do you remember Yahaba? He's the agent that approached me. He pointed her out to me. He thought I chose that diner because of her, but it was just a coincidence.”

The wistfulness over his sister parted to make way for worry. “He knows her? Is she safe?”

“Dateko’s looking into that. I'm not in too much trouble for telling her you're still alive since they're looking into her safety anyways, but they still want you two to avoid communication for now.”

_At least she knows I’m alive._ “They told ya all that?”

“I asked about it. Repeatedly. I wanted to be sure she was safe. She's a good friend. And I agreed to bring her baby brother back,” Chikara replied, and Ryuu’s stomach did enough flips to put any gymnast to shame. His big sis and his love getting along without him, an unrealistic expectation he thought he’d lost with Chikara. And now seeing them both together was a reality, something tangible. If they let Chikara back on the team. “What have…” Chikara began, clearing his throat after his voice failed him and trailed away, “what have you been up to these past few months?

_Missing you. Wondering where you were. Sleepin’ in your bed every night._ “Did a couple of routine missions. Dealt with some raiders.”

“Oh. Did that… go alright? Without an infiltrator?”

“Look at you, worried if we can handle things without ya.”

“It-it’s not that! I just… I haven’t seen what a mission is like without an infiltrator.”

“A mission like that is fine as long as there ain’t no surprise slavers or somethin’ like that. We go in guns blazin’. An infiltrator coulda helped, but we didn’t need it.”

“Do missions go according to plan often?”

“When you’re not around? Yup. Maybe you’re just a magnet for weird shit like Johzenji showing up.”

He could use more of Chikara’s laugh. “That would figure.”

“I worked with Futakuchi for a bit,” Ryuu blurted, unsure of the words as he said them, but hell, secrets were Ennoshita’s specialty, not his. “I didn’t want to force ya back, but he said if you were gone long… I didn’t want ya to get into too much trouble, ya know?”

The silence that followed his confession only lasted three seconds, but it was three seconds too long before Chikara quipped, “Hm, you thought they’d catch me anyways? No faith in my hiding skills?”

“I-! Ya got caught before! And I-”

“And you were looking out for me. Thank you, Ryuu.” His sigh was hard to catch through the door. “I can’t say I like the idea, honestly, but… but I must have worried you. And I deserve far worse than you looking for me for my own good.”

“You’re right. You do deserve worse.” What was a punishment deserving of months of abandonment? “You’re gonna be so sick of makin’ pancakes all the time.”

Chikara’s sharp, surprised laugh filled their space. “I guess you’d better tell me if you like anything special in them so I can make them just right.”

“Chocolate chips.”

“Chocolate chips?! How old are you again?”

“Old enough to have chocolate chips in my pancakes, and Sis can’t stop me.”

“Fine, fine. Chocolate chips it is,” Chikara laughed. “You know what goes well with chocolate chips? Strawberries.”

“Damn, now you’re talkin’.” Ryuu didn’t mean to punctuate it with a yawn, but it escaped him before he could catch it.

“Go rest, Ryuu. I’m not going anywhere.”

“And neither am I.” Ryuu plopped to the floor, resting his back on the wall and his shoulder against the door. “I’m not leaving ya until they drag me away.”

“Ryuu-”

“‘Ryuu’ nothin’. I’m finally near ya again.” Could finally hear his voice, could finally feel his heartbeat again. He wasn’t going to give that up easily. “I’m not done hearin’ your voice.”

He could hear Chikara slide against the door to sit beside him despite the obstacle between them. “Alright,” he replied, relief unmistakable in his voice.

Ryuu rested the side of his head against the door, wondering exactly how Chikara was sitting on the other side. How far was Chikara’s hand from his? How far out of reach was his shoulder to rest his head on? “Hey, Chikara…” he began, trying to imagine Chikara’s hand in his. “You said… You said you were scared that I could get hurt. I ain’t gonna lie to ya: you weren’t wrong. The shit we do is dangerous. I could die. That ain’t gonna change. Hell, if they let ya back on the team, you could-”

“But it’s worth the risk,” Chikara interrupted with an unexpected assertiveness, if a little strained. “It’s the life I want. If my time away has taught me anything, it’s that. The excitement, using my skills to help people… And being with the man I want.” There were those flips competing in Ryuu’s stomach again. “It’s all worth the risk. And if our time is short… At least we’ll have had the time together. If… If they let me back…”

“Hey. Don’t you worry about that right now. I’m here with ya, and I promise we’ll see each other again one way or another.” He wasn’t sure when, or how, but if he had to fight for Chikara, then he was gonna put his all into it.

But right now wasn’t the time to fight, or the time to cry again. Right now was a time to enjoy his company some more, to savour as much of his voice as he could. “Tell me more about my sis. How did ya meet her?”

“She came to the diner almost every night. She was lively and talked to everyone. Everyone was her friend, whether they liked it or not...”

* * *

The approaching footsteps stirred Ryuu awake, his attempt to stretch his stiff arms as he yawned halted by the door at his side. _Damn, my back’s killin’ me-_

“Were you here all night, Tanaka-kun?”

Ryuu blinked up at the familiar pair of glasses looking down at him. “Take-chan? Where...” he rubbed at his face with his hands, too drowsy to think about where he was and too sleepy to even care; he leaned back against the wall, resting his head against the door where the steady heartbeat on the other side lulled him back to sleep.

“Shoulda known this would happen,” Ukai muttered, nudging Ryuu’s shoulder with his foot. “Wake up. We’ve got news for you two.”

“Hm, what?” Ryuu mumbled, fighting to keep his eyes open.

“Shiratorizawa’s made their decision on what to do with Ghost.”

He jumped to his feet too quickly, head spinning for a moment as he blinked at the pair in front of him. “What is it?! What did they say?!”

“I think this is news for _both_ of you to hear,” Takeda remarked, his neutral, polite smile giving nothing away.

He could sense Chikara rising to his feet. “I’m ready to hear it,” Chikara stated, much more solemnly than Ryuu’s enthusiastic reply.

“If I open this door, can you two behave yourselves until we’re done talking?” Ukai asked, twirling the keyring around his finger.

“Yes,” they replied eagerly in unison.

“Who’d have thought I’d see the day where you two couldn’t get enough of each other?” Ukai crossed in front of Ryuu to get to the door. “Some higher power really had a laugh making you two.”

The door rattled as it opened and Ukai stepped aside, revealing Chikara - dressed in a worn white t-shirt and blue pajama pants, the purple bruise on his jaw turning yellow at the edges, heavy bags under his eyes, and the most beautiful sight Ryuu had ever laid his eyes on. He could feel Chikara’s heart racing as his deep brown eyes met his. The smile gracing Chikara’s lips as he watched Ryuu with a sort of awe made it damn near impossible to not kiss him on the spot.

He pushed passed Ukai into the room, but he stuck to the agreement halfway. He grabbed Chikara’s hand, lacing his fingers between Chikara’s fingers, the hand he desperately craved to feel again in his again, where it belonged.

Chikara held back too tightly, his hand trembling in Ryuu’s. Uncertain eyes flickered from Ryuu to the other two in front of them before deciding to keep his gaze on Ryuu. “S-so what’s the word?”

Ryuu held his breath, refusing to look away from the gorgeous brown eyes he’d gone too long without.

“If you agree to certain conditions,” Takeda began leisurely, taking his sweet time leaving them on edge, “you’ll be allowed back onto the team.”

His body moved faster than his thoughts, wrapping his arms tightly around Chikara’s torso. He was truly there, in his arms again, impossibly in his arms again, solid and real and all his to hold. Tanaka lifted him off the ground, laughing at Chikara’s surprised yelp and holding him tighter.

Chikara pressed their foreheads together, wearing a stunning smile that stole Ryuu’s breath away. Ryuu tilted his head up, just a little more and he could-

“Ahem.” Takeda cleared his throat to catch their attention, polite smile still plastered on his face. “The conditions.”

“R-right.” Chikara’s embarrassed blush as he turned complimented his cheeks nicely. Ryuu reluctantly let him back down to his feet but kept his arms wrapped around him, refusing to let go. Chikara didn’t pull away, resting his hands on Ryuu’s shoulders.

“First, you’ll be reporting selected information to Seijou,” Ukai stated.

Chikara blinked at Ukai, his fingers trailing over Ryuu’s shoulder sending sparks down Ryuu’s spine. “Like a double agent?”

“Exactly,” Ukai replied. “We’ll tell you all you can tell them. They should assume the information you can give is limited considering you’ll be under suspicion anyways. We’re hoping it’ll be enough to keep their spy from realizing we’re onto them before we figure out who it is.”

“The second condition is intended to be a fail-safe in case you decide to flee again. In such an event, one or more members on the ship will be prosecuted for aiding escape.” Takeda wore that polite smile as he spoke, and it was outright creepy that he could threaten so sweetly. “Captain Sawamura agreed to these terms. Can you honor his faith that he placed in you?”

“Y-yeah,” Chikara agreed, just as perturbed by Takeda’s seemingly innocent threat. “Yes, of course,” he tried again with more certainty.

“Then welcome back to the team, Ghost.”

Chikara turned back to Ryuu with the most gorgeous smile he’d ever seen; it was that unrestrained smile, like when Ryuu told him he was the protagonist of his own spy flick after the confession of his thieving roots - white teeth beaming from ear to ear, blush coloring his cheeks pink, and a glee that danced in his eyes.

“Have fun, you two,” Takeda smirked before bowing his head and turning away.

“Get some rest. I don’t care where. That’s an order.” Ukai followed Takeda away from the room, leaving the door open with the key still buried in the lock.

Chikara was finally, _finally_ in his arms again. Chikara was finally close, his gorgeous eyes looking into his own and smiling just for him. Chikara’s fingertips were finally trailing up the back of his neck, brushing over the shaved hair of his nape.

They were finally, _finally_ alone together again.

“Ryuunosuke,” Chikara whispered his name, fingertips brushing the back of his scalp, and hell, the past three months without him didn’t feel real anymore; _this_ was real, Chikara solid in his arms and saying his name. Ryuu reached up to the back of Chikara’s neck, fingertips dipping into the soft hair as he pulled him closer.

Their lips finally, finally met again. Gently, so gently, enough to remind them both how perfectly their lips fit together.

Ryuu could feel Chikara’s sigh against his lips, could feel Chikara’s fingers trembling against his nape. _He’s real. He’s really here._ He pulled away just enough to press their lips together again, - _He’s mine again,_ \- and again, - _He’s really gods-damned mine again,_ \- and again, each kiss as soft as Chikara’s lips.

Chikara was really back in his arms. He was whole again.

Chikara barely broke away, lips still featherlight against Ryuu’s. “I’m sorry, Ryuu,” he whispered against lips.

Ryuu responded with another light kiss, his trembling arms resting around Chikara’s waist.

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” Chikara whispered again, voice cracking, and Ryuu kissed him again, taking a careful step to guide him towards the bed.

“I’m so sorry,” Chikara hiccuped, a tear escaping the corner of his eye. Ryuu kissed him again as he felt the heat well up in his own eyes, taking another step.

Another apology, another kiss, another step towards the bed, again and again till Chikara’s legs hit the edge of the bed.

With another kiss Ryuu nudged Chikara onto his back lengthwise across the small bed, crawling on top of him to look down at him. Red-rimmed eyes and tears caught in his pretty lashes, he reached up to stroke Ryuu’s cheek as he sniffled. “I’m so sorry I left.”

Ryuu cupped Chikara’s hand over his cheek, his left shoulder shaking as he rested his arm beside Chikara’s head. He leaned down closer to kiss Chikara’s tear-stained cheek, a taste of salt on his lips. “You don’t plan to leave again, right? Not without tellin’ me, at least?”

“Of course not,” Chikara wiped his eyes with the back of his free hand. “I’ll tell you everything from now on.”

Ryuu let go of his hand to brush his bangs off his forehead to kiss it. “Even when you’re scared?”

“When I’m scared, when I’m in doubt… I’ll talk to you. I’ll always come talk to you.”

Ryuu kissed Chikara’s cheekbone, letting his lips brush over the skin on the way to kiss his cheek, and then the corner of his lips. “You promise?”

Chikara’s heartbeat raced, his breaths growing heavier with every kiss closer to his lips. “I promise,” Chikara whispered, turning his head to meet his kiss, another gentle press of the lips.

Ryuu dipped his fingers back into the soft hair as he let his lips linger on Chikara's. He opened one eye to steal a peek of Chikara beneath him, eyes closed and looking so at peace. Chikara's hands travelled slowly from his back, to his side, to his chest, fingertips brushing up to his neck.

Ryuu broke away, stealing another quick kiss before he spoke. “I forgive ya. As long as you talk to me, and I have ya here, that’s all I need.”

Ryuu was torn between kissing him again or just watching the damn beautiful smile Chikara wore just for him. Chikara's fingers trailed up to his cheek, thumb brushing over Ryuu's cheekbone. "You're too good for me."

“You’re damn right. Don’t forget it,” Ryuu teased, ducking his head to kiss Chikara’s cheek again - this time blowing on his cheek hard, making the most obnoxious raspberry noise he could manage. Chikara laughed as he tried to pull away, but Ryuu grabbed his other cheek to hold him in place.

“I take it back! You’re rotten!” Chikara laughed, digging his fingers into Ryuu’s side with expert tickling precision. When Ryuu let out an unflattering squeal, Chikara hummed, “Your sister told me your weak spots. Let’s see, behind the knee is-”

“N-nothin’! Behind the knee is nothin’!” Ryuu stammered, prying the offending hand away from his ribs and keeping it in a tight grasp. Chikara, didn’t fight back, still laughing and smiling and damn he was beau-

Ryuu’s yawn came suddenly, no chance to cover his mouth. Not that he would have bothered anyways. Chikara used the hand not currently in Ryuu’s death grip to cover his own yawn. “We should sleep, Ryuu.”

“But I wanna keep playin’ like this,” he grumbled, pouting at Chikara, but his argument fell flat when another yawn escaped him. The second yawn took the rest of his energy with it, exhaustion settling over him and beginning to weigh heavy on his eyelids.

“We have time now, remember? We’re… together, now. And that’s not going to change again.”

Damn, he was weak for Chikara getting sappy. So, so weak. “Yeah. Yeah, you’re right.” Ryuu couldn’t help himself, stealing a few more short and sweet kisses before he settled against Chikara. He shifted over to rest his side on the bed, draping his arm over Chikara's torso.

Chikara shifted onto his side to face Ryuu and snaked his arm under his, kissing Ryuu's chin and gracing him with a soft smile. “Good night, Ryuu.”

He was dead tired, the sight of his sleeping lover and the slow, steady heartbeat that came with it lulling him to sleep, but he needed to watch Chikara just a little longer. _He’s beautiful._ He brushed a stray bang from Chikara’s forehead, the soft strands disobeying him and falling back into place. He lightly trailed a finger over his jawline and across the bruise. _My sis knows I’m okay thanks to him._ He reached up a little higher to run his thumb over Chikara’s soft bottom lip, keeping it there when Chikara placed a featherlight kiss on it. Chikara’s eyes opened just enough to give him one last sleepy smile before he drifted off.

_He’s here with me. He’s really here with me, and he’s crazy about me, too._

_There’s no way it can get better than this._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Ziba](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Ziba) drew this beautiful Suga busting into the cockpit at the beginning, bless forever, keep this image sacred in your hearts.  
> 
> 
> Also, if you'd like a feels-trip, [Fred V & Grafix - Oxygen](https://youtu.be/X_typLTFRdk) fits the last scene p well. Not like I cried or anything tho, nope, not way not at all


	12. free (pt. 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Walking back onto the ship felt like… like walking into the teacher’s lounge at school. Even if he had permission, he felt out of place, that creeping sensation in the back of his mind insisting he had no right to be there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First: Whoops hello, been a little while. Tbh this chapter is kicking my ass, and realized it's getting... awfully long... so I decided to break it into two. (So the usual pov switch won't be happening next chapter.)  
> Second: A reminder Suga can't see/hear into the rooms unless specifically called out to.  
> Third: I will definitely give warnings when things get NSFW, but won't for bits of "sexual tension" that don't result in more than a missing shirt or when sex/etc is discussed. I apologize if that's not your thing, but I promise I'll make anything more "heated" than that easily skippable in future chapters. 
> 
> Word count: 10,245  
> [Seven Lions - Days to Come ft. Fiora](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4HVjldqWx4w)

Chikara had always been fascinated with the stars; the view from the ship's common room as they flew amongst them was a favorite. But the view of the stars alone didn't compare to the view he had now, the countless faint lights illuminating Ryuu's shirtless figure beside him. The two hardly fit on the couch together, but Ryuu must have insisted, Chikara considered as he struggled to keep his eyes open. Or maybe Chikara was the one that insisted; wearing nothing but a blanket over their intertwined legs, Chikara had dreamed about this in his waking hours, too - just the two of them and the stars as they got closer in a new way.

_ Only in dreams now,  _ he acquiesced with a yawn.

"Fallin' asleep on me already?" Ryuu asked with a chuckle, that deep chuckle that made Chikara's knees weak.

"Something like that," he smiled back, tracing circles on Ryuu's bare arm with a single fingertip.

He wanted to stay like this forever, their legs intertwined as they squeezed together on the small space, Ryuu's arm wrapped around his bare side and holding him close.  _ Let me have this dream just a little longer.  _ But Ryuu was ever the tease, his perfect smile beckoning Chikara to kiss him; Chikara knew better, knew the moment his lips neared Ryuu, his alarm clock would tear him away. But Ryuu's heartbeat was harder to resist, the steady rise and fall lulling him away.

_ Just a little longer.  _ But dreams couldn't last forever; as Ryuu leaned in, Chikara's eyelids fluttered shut.

Ryuu beside him was a blur as Chikara opened his eyes again.  _ Another dream?  _ This dream wasn't much different from the first; still squeezed together, but clothed and on a small bed this time. Ryuu's hand laid on Chikara’s side, his thumb brushing the shirt over his ribs. Chikara reluctantly pulled his hand away from Ryuu's warm chest to rub his eyes, but it was worth it; to see Ryuu in full detail, gray eyes searching his and the sleepy smile on his tempting lips was a sight he hoped to sear into his waking memory.  _ He’s so handsome.  _ Chikara traced the features he missed for so long with his eyes, from the shape of Ryuu’s brow to the stubble on his chin, the slope of his nose to the angle of his jaw.

Details trickled into his foggy mind as he took notice of the familiar doorway past Ryuu’s ear. A dream of armed guards surrounding him as he surrendered himself. A dream of that steel interrogation room, the aroma of Futakuchi's coffee as Shirabu shot question after question. Another dream of Takeda pushing up his glasses as he spoke of freedom's conditions and Ryuu lifting him into the air. Where did reality end and the convincing dream begin? Something to worry about when he woke up, when Ryuu was no longer within his reach.  _ I don't want to wake up. Let me stay here just like this. _

He brought his hand back to its rightful place on Ryuu’s shoulder, dipping his fingertips under the open sleeve to brush over the skin hidden by his tanktop. A lone freckle peeking out past the fabric begged to be kissed, but Chikara refused to fall for its temptation.  _ No. I'm not going to wake up, not yet. _

“Hey.” There was a rasp to Ryuu’s tired voice and a shyness to his smile that sent butterflies through Chikara’s stomach.

“Hey,” Chikara hummed back with a smile of his own, and the way Ryuu’s smile grew was infectious. When Ryuu pulled him closer to press their foreheads together, he wanted to melt into the embrace, to stay close and watch Ryuu’s smile for a lifetime.

Peering back up, Ryuu’s eyes were too close to see clearly, but he didn’t have it in him to pull away. Instead, he brushed his nose against Ryuu’s with a little  _ hm,  _ and Ryuu chuckled as he returned the nuzzle.

_ Dreams can’t last forever,  _ he thought with a sigh, shutting his eyes tightly and bracing himself for the blare of his alarm clock as Ryuu leaned in.

Instead of the shrieking alarm clock in his ear, he felt Ryuu’s lips against his own.

He held onto the shoulders too tightly as Ryuu pulled away. “Somethin’ wrong?” Ryuu asked, concern flooding his raspy morning voice and alluring eyes.

No alarm clock screaming at him, no shitty apartment with its shitty bed and shitty bathroom curtain, no faded red apron to tie around his back. 

There was only Ryuu, Ryuu warm against him, Ryuu’s solid body real beneath his hands.

“This is real,” Chikara whispered back, his voice failing to catch up to his thoughts. This was real, Ryuu's smile for him was real, the steady heartbeat he felt in his chest beside his own wasn't a delusion. He slid his hands from Ryuu’s shoulders up to his neck, fingertips settling on his jaw. “You're here… You're not a dream…”

“I'm the one that should be sayin’ that,” Ryuu replied with another chuckle, taking one of Chikara’s hands in his to bring up to his lips.

Whatever mindless reply he had came out as a whimper instead as Ryuu kissed his palm.  _ He’s really…  _ With his fingers still curled around Chikara’s hand, Ryuu closed his eyes as he kissed Chikara’s wrist just above the shackle softly, letting his lips linger over the skin. When Ryuu opened his eyes to peer into his, any chance at coherent thought was gone. All he could process were those eyes, those lips, that smirk, that hum as Ryuu leaned in to kiss him again…

One tender kiss followed by another, and another, each kiss almost  _ too  _ soft. Chikara wanted more, wanted to pull him in roughly, but with each kiss he fell a little more helpless, melting more with every press of their lips.

With another kiss, Ryuu propped himself up on his elbow. Chikara flowed with him as their lips met again, turning onto his back. Chikara wasn’t sure which of them let out a sigh as Ryuu weaved their fingers together, pinning his hand against the bed. The kisses Ryuu led grew a little slower, still closed-mouthed but his lips lingering on Chikara’s as he slid his leg over Chikara’s thighs.

Chikara was certain it was his sigh this time as Ryuu gave another slow kiss on top of him, and another lingering for longer still. Chikara slid his free hand up Ryuu’s thigh, to his waist, dipping his fingers under the hem of his tanktop just enough for his fingertips to meet warm skin.

Everything stopped abruptly, from his heart to the sweet spinning in his head when Ryuu pulled away, sitting up and unlinking their twined fingers. _ Did I go too far, I went too far, I can’t believe I already- _

His eyes traced the details of tanned biceps as Ryuu reached behind himself to grab a fistful of shirt; in one swift motion, Ryuu's tanktop was off and tossed aside along with any of Chikara’s remaining wit. Maybe he was still dreaming, with the view of Ryuu shirtless and straddled across his waist. He tested his boundaries, sliding his fingertips two or three inches up Ryuu’s side. Ryuu didn’t stop him, instead watching him with a smile that Chikara could only describe as shy.  _ Is he blushing? Gods, save me, I’m done for. _

He slid his hand up enough to flatten his palm against the skin, careful to follow Ryuu’s gentle lead as he trailed his hand over his abdomen slowly. He wanted to see Ryuu’s gaze turn as hungry as his own, to spin him roughly onto his back and taste every inch of his exposed skin; but more than that, he wanted to preserve that bashful smile teasing Ryuu’s lips. 

He brushed his thumb over a dip shaping Ryuu’s abs as he continued to feel his way up, mapping the skin with his palm on the way to his chest. He laid his other hand on Ryuu’s thigh, hoping neither hand would begin to tremble; he was struggling to hold onto his stability, every new inch explored sending him into a haze.

_ I don’t deserve him. _

The thought crept into his mind, floating through the fog of desire distracting him. There was no self-deprecation, no pity party, only a fact to accept. It was sobering, just a little, just enough to help him focus on the part in Ryuu’s lips as his hand reached his chest.

_ I want to do more for him. To show him what he means to me.  _ More thoughts trickled in to help pull him from his haze enough to catch Ryuu falling into his own. Ryuu’s deepening blush blossomed from his cheeks to the tips of his ears and down past his neck as Chikara gently brushed his fingertips over a scar across Ryuu’s chest.  _ I  _ can  _ do something for him, can’t I? What can I do?  _ A deep exhale escape Ryuu as Chikara traced from his collarbone to the dip in his neck. Chikara could please him, of that he was certain; but it wouldn’t mean anything, would it? Anyone could give him a romp in the sheets. Besides, what good would any intimacy be if Chikara wasn’t worthy of it? Ryuu deserved so much more.

_ What can I do for him?  _ This time it was Ryuu’s sigh between them as he leaned down to bring their lips back together. Chikara slid his hands over Ryuu’s warm back, enjoying the muscle beneath his fingers.  _ What tools do I have to work with?  _ Ryuu kissed the corner of his lips,  _ What connections do I have to use?,  _ then the bruise on his jaw,  _ How can I use these things to help Ryuu?,  _ then lower still, Ryuu’s lips hovering over his neck-

“I have an idea!” Chikara blurted. He nudged at Ryuu’s side, attempting to push a few inches between them. “I need to talk to Daichi-san.”

Ryuu groaned, refusing to budge. “Can’t it wait?” he mumbled, brushing his nose against the pulse point by Chikara’s jaw.

_ The sexiest man I’ve ever laid eyes on is on top of me, and I’m pushing him away. I must have lost my mind in that interrogation room.  _ “We shouldn’t be doing this here anyways, Ryuu. C’mon, get up.”

With another frustrated groan Ryuu sat up, thankfully crawling off Chikara before the temptation to pull him back down could strike. “What’s this idea of yours?”

Chikara rose to his feet, reaching for the clothes folded on top of the otherwise bare desk.  _ Should I tell him? How much should I tell him?  _ On the one hand, he could think of a few ways telling Ryuu could help. But on the other hand, if he got Ryuu’s hopes up only for the plan to fail... “I can’t talk about it yet in case it won’t work. Could you watch the door for me while I change? I doubt anyone would walk by, but since we can’t close it…”

“You weren’t too worried about that when  _ I  _ was takin’ off  _ my  _ clothes,” Ryuu smirked as he grabbed his tanktop, pulling it back over his head and down his torso.

“You were the one that was eager to strip. I wasn’t going to complain.”

“If you’re flirting, you’re doin’ a real crap job of it.”

Chikara laughed as he walked to the corner beyond the doorway’s sight. “I’m out of practice.” He grabbed the bottom of his shirt, pulling it off before glancing over his shoulder. “No peeking!”

“I wasn’t! I was… turnin’ my head to cough.” Ryuu exaggerated a fake cough into his closed fist, not bothering to turn his gaze away.

Chikara tossed his shirt at Ryuu’s face, eliciting a laugh from both of them when it hit its target. “Fine, look if you want,” Chikara hummed as he turned back around; he wasn't going to pass up the opportunity for a little teasing. He pulled down his pajama pants slowly, satisfied with the soft _ “Damn”  _ from Ryuu’s direction when he lowered his waistband just enough. He wasn’t going to pass up the opportunity for a little cliche, either. “Like what you see?” he asked with a smirk as he glanced back over his shoulder.

Ryuu stood there dumbly, shirt still in hand and jaw slack. “It… good.”

“Eloquent,” Chikara quipped, stepping into his pant legs and being sure to bend over as he pulled the pants up. “Is the ship far from here?” he asked as he pulled the turtleneck over his head.

Ryuu took a moment to register what Chikara said, his eyes still cast below Chikara’s belt. “Nah. Parked the same place we were before ya…” He cleared his throat instead of finishing the sentence. “I gotta get the box from Ukai-san’s office.” He pointed out the door with his thumb. “You ready to go?”

Chikara reached for Ryuu’s hand, lacing their fingers together. “Lead the way.”

* * *

“What’s going on in that pretty head of yours that’s got ya so quiet?”

“Ah. Sorry.” Chikara squeezed Ryuu’s hand - though it was entirely possible he couldn’t feel it. When given the choice between holding Chikara’s hand or carrying the box of Saeko’s drawings with his real hand, he grabbed the box with little hesitation, walking with it closely tucked to his side as they made their way out of the Karasuno facility. “I’m trying to plan what I can before I talk to Daichi-san.”  _ Maybe if I get Sergeant Shirabu’s help…  _ There was a little guilt pinching at him for his silence; he hadn’t exactly had many opportunities to talk to Ryuu the past few weeks.  _ But if this works out, it’ll be worth it. _

Ryuu squeezed back, -  _ So he did feel it.  _ \- though a bit roughly. “When are ya gonna let me in on the big secret?”

The ship was in sight too soon; he wouldn’t have minded walking like this for a while longer, hand in hand and simply enjoying Ryuu’s presence. The moment that he stepped on the ship, it was straight to work. “It’s not a  _ secret,”  _ Chikara replied with an amused huff.  _ Speaking of secrets, if I play my cards with Yahaba just right...  _ “It’s just… It’s like I said. I can’t talk about it in case it doesn’t work out.”

“Well, can’t say I like it so far.” The guilt stepped up its game from a small pinch to a nasty bite, sinking its teeth through Chikara’s conscience when Ryuu forced a smile. “It's got you acting all mysterious.”

‘Mysterious’ used to be part of his appeal; from the moment he confessed he was a thief, Ryuu was hooked on it, on his lifestyle and his world of secrets. But now Ryuu spoke the word like it was a curse.  _ I really screwed that up. _

_ But I have the chance to fix this. _

“Ryuu.” He stopped before the ship’s ramp, tugging Ryuu’s arm. When Ryuu glanced back at him, Chikara brought his hand to his cheek, the stubble along Ryuu’s jaw scratching his fingertips. Ryuu watched him, quietly searching his eyes until Chikara stepped closer to bring their lips together.

Chikara begrudgingly pulled away after a few seconds, resting their foreheads together. “Ryuu…”  _ I can’t ask him to ‘trust me on this’.  _ “I’m sorry. I know I said I wouldn't keep anything from you. But I need just this, okay? And I’ll tell you all that I can. Every step of the way.

Ryuu opened his eyes but kept his gaze cast down at Chikara’s shoulder. “Every step?”

“Every step,” Chikara confirmed, stealing another quick kiss before taking a step back. “Starting now. The first step involves my ‘conditions’ for rejoining the team.”

Ryuu’s eyes lit up at as the realization clicked into place. “That why you can’t talk about it? Can’t say anythin’ out loud?”

_ Not that vaguely remarking about it out in the open helps,  _ Chikara laughed to himself, too relieved at Ryuu’s reaction to comment aloud. “That’s part of it.”

There was a hint of excitement in the grin starting to take over Ryuu.  _ Guess he’s not done with ‘mysterious’ after all.  _ “Then let’s get the ball rollin’. You ready to see the team again?”

“Not at all,” Chikara confessed with a smile, stepping forward onto the ramp.

* * *

Walking back onto the ship felt like… like walking into the teacher’s lounge at school. Even if he had permission, he felt out of place, that creeping sensation in the back of his mind insisting he had no right to be there.  _ Has the ship always been this dim?  _ He subconsciously squeezed Ryuu’s hand as they made their way through the airlock, the door sliding open in front of them to reveal…

...a stranger?

He shouldn’t have been surprised; he was gone for three months. It only made sense they’d recruit others. Maybe even a replacement for him. It was their best course of action, there was no reason for the twinge of jealousy, of course they’d-

There was something warm and familiar about the stranger’s sweet smile. “Ennoshita!”

He didn’t recognize the face, but that voice with its cheer and synthetic undertone… “Suga-san?”

Oh, that deceptively sweet smile.

Suga’s jab was a good one, Chikara had to admit - too quick to dodge, and perfect aim right at his ribs. Great impact, too. If Chikara was in the mental state to rate it, he’d place the jab at a solid 8.7 out of 10, but at the moment all he could think to do was press his free hand to his side as he doubled over.

“Welcome back to the team!” Suga chirped, his ‘sweet’ smile never faltering.

“That didn’t feel very welcoming,” Chikara groaned, dropping his hand as he tried to straighten up.

A mistake, really.

“Chikara!” Nishinoya’s jab wasn’t as rough (a 6.8 out of 10), but his aim was spot on, and Chikara crumpled with one knee to the ground.

Ryuu did a really terrible job of hiding his smirk as he squeezed Chikara’s hand. “Hey, hey. Leave ‘im alone,” he defended with no real effort; he even sounded a bit amused.  _ Traitor. _

Chikara pulled on Ryuu’s hand to help himself back up. “I can see you smiling.”

“You kinda deserve it,” Ryuu confessed with a wider grin. “Just a little bit.”

When Suga and Nishinoya laughed, making comments about ‘a little tough love’, Chikara couldn’t help but grin back; it did feel a bit welcoming, to be let back in with laughter, even if it was at his own expense. Maybe especially at his own expense; they were including him, pulling him along, acting like the past three months were over now. Something to laugh off and carry on.

_ Maybe for them. For me, it’s just beginning.  _ “Where’s Daichi-san? I need to talk to him.”

“Straight to business?” came Daichi’s voice from down the hall, walking towards them with Asahi close behind.

“Welcome back,” Asahi greeted with a small smile and a bow of his head.

“Thank you, Asahi-san.”  _ And thank you for not being as… enthusiastic as your Connected and husband. A jab from you would break my ribs.  _ “Daichi-san, could we speak in private?”

With a solid nod, Daichi gestured for him to follow with a wave.

But Ryuu was reluctant to let go of his hand. “Lemme guess. You want me to stay behind.” Ryuu forced a smile when Chikara turned back to face him.

There was that pinch of guilt again. He glanced around at the others hesitantly before telling himself  _ Screw it, Ryuu’s happiness is more important, _ and giving Ryuu a quick kiss. It helped, a little; there was something more genuine in the upturn of Ryuu’s lips. “Just for now, Ryuu.”

“Not on the deck, you two!” Suga teased. “Save the gross lovey-dovey stuff for the bedroom!”

The Asahi’s raised brow as Chikara passed was enough to imply Suga wasn't one to talk.

Chikara fell into step beside Daichi as the captain led them away. “I’m having enough trouble believing I'm not dreaming. Suga-san having a body isn't helping.”

“It's still hard for me to believe, too,” Daichi replied a bit wistfully. “We'll talk here.”

“The… washroom?”

Daichi gestured towards the door with a tilt of his head, staying quiet until the door slid shut behind them. He took a quick glance at the open stall doors. “The washrooms are the only place we could check for bugs without tipping anyone off.”

“So the rest of the ship is still…?”

“Grounds for suspicion,” Daichi confirmed as he leaned against the sink. “I'm assuming you wanted to talk about something Seijou related?”

Chikara nodded, rubbing his bruised side absently. “I have a plan to trade information with Yahaba.”

* * *

Ryuu could clean up nicely when he wanted; he still had that tanktop on (not that Chikara would complain about that), but his pants had no tears, and it was a pleasant surprise to see he owned a pair of boots that weren't covered in dirt. The leather jacket he pulled on made it even harder for Chikara to tear his eyes away as they made their way to the cheap hotel hiding in a back street in Soren. Chikara felt underdressed in his usual black attire - not that he had much in the way of variety. He thought maybe he had a different shirt, but Ryuu kept directing him away from his room so suspiciously that it was obvious, and the past student director in him cringed.

The redirection from his room was a mystery for later. For now, he was focused on the curious glee in Ryuu’s eyes as he followed along with the plan despite his lack of knowledge. “Why’re we here?” Ryuu asked as he shut the hotel room door behind him. “Is this about-”

“Shh!” Chikara quickly pressed his finger to Ryuu’s lips. “Do you know how to look for bugs?” he whispered.

Ryuu raised his eyebrows, following Chikara’s quiet lead and whispering against the finger. “Ya mean like stag beetles?”

“No, like-” Chikara held in a laugh; his genuine naivety was cute. “Surveillance bugs.”

Ryuu shook his head, Chikara’s finger moving with the motion.

“Then stay as quiet as possible to listen for anything that could sound like a camera. Noises like beeping or ticking. Watch what I-”

When the door swung open, the detective’s judging glare locked onto Chikara’s finger on Ryuu’s lips. “You didn't call me over just to watch you two, right? Cause I had to watch those ship cameras  _ repeatedly-” _

Chikara dropped his finger, clearing his throat awkwardly. “Could you help me sweep for bugs?”

Futakuchi nodded without question, pulling a device from his pocket. “I'll scan here. You take the washroom,” he replied quietly.

Chikara gestured for Ryuu to follow, and Ryuu watched with curious eyes as Chikara picked apart every inch of the small washroom, checking under each spare roll of toilet paper and bar of soap before turning off the light and repeating the process to search for camera lights. “The washroom’s clear.”

“Clear here, too,” Futakuchi announced as he pocketed his signal detector. “Why did you call me out  _ here?  _ Isn’t this some sort of sex motel? I’m not touching anything.” He folded his arms across his chest, giving Chikara an exaggerated frown to show his displeasure.

Chikara leaned his back against the table a few feet away from the bed. “Better make yourself comfortable. We’re going to be here for at least 30 minutes.”

Ryuu plopped down at the edge of the bed, patting the spot beside him while grinning up at Futakuchi.

Futakuchi shifted his glare from Ryuu, to Chikara, back to Ryuu before begrudgingly accepting the offer and sitting next to him. “Spill already. Why did you call me here?”

“I’m going to call Yahaba to trade information. But first I need to give him a reason they let me back on the team since I can’t tell him the truth.”

Ryuu’s eyes lit up at the mention of the Seijou agent; he reminded Chikara of a dog that just heard the word ‘treat’, honestly. Futakuchi, on the other hand, grimaced at the name. “What does this have to do with me and a sex hotel-” Futakuchi narrowed his eyes. “You’re using me.”

Chikara couldn't help his smug grin; he had nothing against Futakuchi himself, but he didn’t mind getting one over the detective that chased him for a year. Not that he had many options, anyways. “It was you or Sergeant Shirabu, but Shiratorizawa already left the planet.”

Ryuu glanced between the two with his head tilted in confusion. “What’s goin’ on?”

“I need a reason that Yahaba would believe for Shiratorizawa letting me back onto the team. What better reason is there than an affair with someone with the power to influence their decision?”

Ryuu smirked when he caught on. “You’re makin’ it look like you’re sleepin’ together?”

“Exactly.”

“Alright, I admit. That’s clever. But then why am I here?”

_ Because nobody would trust me to walk to the hotel alone. And because seeing that look on your face if I left you in the dark again would break my heart.  _ “Yahaba knows that I- how I feel about you. He’d more likely believe a threesome than that I’d risk cheating on you.”

“And if there’s an agent watching any of us, they just watched the three of us walk into the same sex motel room. He wouldn’t have much reason not to buy it,” Futakuchi commented. “You forgot the part where I  _ don’t  _ have the power to influence their decision. Reporting that I have no evidence you stole anything else isn’t enough to sway something like that.”

“I doubt Yahaba knows that. Seijou isn’t as all-knowing as they want people to believe. They have eyes everywhere, but until someone finds specific details they only see the bigger picture. Knowing you’re the head detective on my case will be enough.”  _ Hopefully. _

“So now we just need to kill time so they buy the story, hm?” Ryuu asked, though it sounded suspiciously like he had something in mind already, a bit of a playful hum at his little  _ ‘hm’. _

“Then we’d better get started,” Futakuchi agreed to… whatever Ryuu was implying, though Chikara caught on the moment Futakuchi started shrugging off his jacket. “If they’re expecting a threesome…”

Ryuu mimicked the motion with his own jacket. “Please take care of us, Chikara.”

“W-what?! No! We don’t actually need to- Keep your shirts on!!”

“Why? Do you want to remove them personally?” Futakuchi grinned, his hands gripping the hem of his shirt. “Or did you want to watch us take each others-”

“You’re doing this on purpose to annoy me, aren’t you? Is this revenge for not leaving the planet?”

“Well, sex helps relieve stress and frustration.”

“He ain’t wrong.”

“No threesome.”

“But the plan-”

“The plan is fake!” Chikara squeezed his eyes shut, pinching the bridge of his nose. If only he could block his ears against their laughter. “You’re both terrible. I’m never going into a room with the both of you at once ever again.” When he opened his eyes, both thankfully still had their clothes on. Both were still snickering, too, but he had to take his victories where he could. “Do you have any leads on who attacked the ship yet?” he asked, hoping to steer the conversation before the two found some other way to tease him.

“Nothing I can tell you.” Futakuchi leaned back to rest his weight on his elbows. “I  _ can  _ tell you that I think I know someone involved. There was a guy a few years back that was a real charmer to anyone with authority. A complete brown-noser. Everyone thought he was genuine, but I know a suck-up when I see one.”

“Takes one to know one?” Tanaka asked with a smirk.

“Yup!” Futakuchi agreed casually. “I know which asses to kiss and how to kiss them to get my promotions. But that’s to get the right attention. I know how to do my job, and I work my ass off. This guy did it just to cut corners and get better pay for it. That wouldn’t fly at Dateko, but at his job, they were all blinded by his bullshit.”  _ So it’s someone he’s seen work, but didn’t work for Dateko,  _ Chikara thought to himself, filing away the information for later. “He disappeared a few years back,” Futakuchi continued, folding his arms beneath his head as a makeshift pillow. “He had money and connections, and fits the height estimate for whoever stole the evidence. I’d bet my left foot it’s him.”

“Stole the evidence?” That was news to Chikara.  _ Don’t tell me it’s the evidence Ryuu almost got hurt over. _

“Right. You don’t know about that,” Futakuchi replied with a yawn. “Evidence got stolen.”

“Yeah, I got that part,” Chikara quipped back at the detective’s nonchalance. “What evidence?”

Tanaka kicked his feet up onto the bed and folded his legs beneath him. “That bag we found with the blood on it. Someone with a stealth suit and a jetpack ran out of Dateko with it.”

“Which is why you’re looking for someone with money and connections,” Chikara sighed.

“You got it,” Futakuchi snapped his fingers, pointing a fingergun in Chikara’s direction. “If that’s all, I’m taking a nap,” Futakuchi continued, talking through his yawn. “I have to go back to the office after this.”

“Move over more. I’m tired as hell.”

Chikara raised an eyebrow at Ryuu trying to shove Futakuchi aside. “You two are just going to nap?”

“We still got time to kill. Don’t see why not.”

“Unless you want to go with the original plan-”

“Not happening.”

Chikara took a seat at the table, resting his chin on his folded elbows.  _ I can’t risk researching who this mystery man could be in case my laptop is bugged.  _ He watched as Ryuu slid under the covers on one side of the bed, falling asleep only a few seconds after his head hit the pillow. The detective was still laying on top of the blanket, legs dangled over the edge and somehow content sleeping just like that.  _ Finding the attacker is completely in Dateko’s hands as long as there’s an agent among us. _

* * *

Futakuchi’s tousled hair when he awoke fit the ‘just got laid’ look, and he was more than happy to go along with the act as he left the room whistling, his jacket flung over his shoulder.

Ryuu was more reluctant to leave. “I can’t stay for the fun part?”

“Trust me, there’s nothing fun about talking to Yahaba.” He approached Ryuu sitting on the bed, standing between his knees and wrapping his arms over his shoulders. He remembered this scene from his dreams, but the real thing was beyond compare; Ryuu’s skin under his fingertips when he snaked them under the back of his tanktop, Ryuu’s grey eyes staring into his, Ryuu’s hands settling on his waist - Chikara wasn't sure he could ever get over that shred of disbelief this was finally real. Not just disbelief that Ryuu was beside him again, but that his hesitation to hold him, to keep him, was no longer suffocating him.  _ Maybe I needed to leave for this to work,  _ he thought to himself guiltily,  _ but that doesn't change that I made a mess only I can clean.  _ “I have no way to call Yahaba, so I'm leaving this up to the chance that someone that reports to him caught us coming in here. When you leave, he'll know I'm alone. Hopefully, he'll take the bait since he can't call the ship.”

Ryuu grunted, giving Chikara that cute, bratty-puppy-that-didn't-get-his-way pout. “Fine. But you gotta look the part like you just got lucky, right?” Ryuu’s hands on his waist untucked his shirt and slid under the hem. “Shirtless would fit the look better.”

_ Or it would be over-acting,  _ Chikara considered.

“Good idea,” he hummed back instead.

Ryuu kept his eyes locked onto Chikara’s as he slid his hands over Chikara’s sides slowly, the shirt catching over his wrists. Ryuu’s heart beat a little faster as his hands - one calloused, one smooth - made their way up towards his chest. They only broke eye contact when Chikara pulled his shirt over his head, letting Ryuu’s hands roam from his sides, to his back, to his chest. “That blush and bedroom eyes you got goin' on helps the look,” Ryuu purred as he pulled Chikara closer to let his lips hover over Chikara’s neck, his breath warm teasing his skin. “Bet a few hickies would-”

“I think I have enough for the look, thank you,” Chikara laughed, pushing at Ryuu’s shoulders. Ryuu gave a low growl and glared at… his neck? Chikara filed the weird view as another mystery to solve later. “Yahaba won’t call until you leave,” he repeated as he stepped back to give Ryuu space to stand.

Ryuu pushed himself off the bed, stealing a quick kiss before he turned toward the door. “Alright, alright. But tell me how it goes after?”

“I’ll tell you all that I can.”

Ryuu nodded, thankfully accepting the possibility of vagueness before opening the door. “I’m goin’ for a walk,” he called out a bit too loudly, and the ambitious college student director in Chikara made a mental note that Ryuu needed work on his over-acting before he was cast in anything.

Alone and shirtless in the room, Chikara sat on the edge of his bed to gather his thoughts again. He had to prepare for the directions he’d steer the call in. Same plan as always when dealing with Yahaba; let him talk, let him think he had the control, but remind him he needed Chikara and turn things around if he absolutely had to. A game Yahaba didn’t realize he’d been playing for years now, a game of Chikara using Yahaba’s ‘need to know the most’ tendency against him, but there was more on the line here than usual.

If Yahaba would call.

Chikara mentally kicked himself as he watched the hotel phone, the minutes ticking by and nothing to be heard in the room except the occasional creak of the bed from his fidgeting. _ I shouldn’t have left the diner so soon,  _ he thought to himself, though he knew it was pointless. He hadn’t expected they’d let him back in, especially to act as a double agent.  _ I should have waited anyways. I should have tried to get more information- _

The shrieking ringtone startled him from his thoughts, flinching at the sound before he reached for the phone. “Hello?”

“Hello there,  _ Minato,”  _ Yahaba purred.

“Yahaba?” he asked back with a hint of false surprise. “Are you sure this line secure?”

“I checked. It’s fine. I assume you’ve given my offer some thought?”

“It’s why I turned myself in.”

“Couldn’t wait for us to chat again first? How did you expect to contact me?”

“Sorry. I couldn’t take another day at that diner.”

“I don’t know how you could handle working with all that grease,” Yahaba thankfully agreed. “Start up a video call and let me see the room.”

The routine check; even when they were sleeping together, not once did Yahaba take his word that he was alone when he called. “Hold on, I need-”

“Now.”

Chikara awkwardly cleared his throat when the phone’s camera clicked on at his end. Yahaba, on the other hand, didn’t turn his on, showing Chikara a blank screen instead of himself in all of his smug glory. “Really? Shirtless?”

“You didn’t give me a chance to put it back on.” Chikara stood from the bed, doing a quick sweep of the room at Yahaba’s instructions until he was satisfied; it was a good thing the other two decided to nap on the bed, he realized as Yahaba whistled at the blanket and bedsheets’ disarray. “I’m glad you called. I don’t have much to tell you because they’re suspicious of me, but there was something I thought could catch your interest.” _ Something Daichi-san agreed I can tell, since no doubt your agent already told you. _

“I’m surprised they let you back in~” Yahaba hummed, that smug cheer in his voice that sang ‘I already know everything’. “Though I’m more surprised about the sort of strings you pulled.”

“What are you talking about?” he asked as he sat back on the bed, knowing full well what Yahaba was implying.

“Really, Ennoshita? A  _ threesome?  _ With that detective? You have no taste.”

He resisted the urge to ask  _ ‘Did you realize before or after we slept together?’,  _ doing his best to hide his smirk at the thought. “What makes you think that I…” he trailed off, allowing the faux realization to strike him. “One of your agents saw us, and that’s how you knew to call. Am I right?”

“If you were trying to be discreet, you picked the wrong hotel,” Yahaba quipped. “I hope that wasn’t what you were planning to tell me. I’m not paying you to hear about your affair.”

“No, it’s not. But on the subject of payment,” Chikara began, his nerves beginning to bubble up.  _ This is where the true test starts.  _ “You can’t pay me money for at least a few years. There’s no way I can suddenly have free money to spend without raising suspicions.”

“We can set up an account, transfer your pay whenever-”

“No,” Chikara interrupted, unsure of what to make of Yahaba’s compliant silence. “You can’t expect me to trust some account I can’t check for years.”

“You have something else in mind?” Yahaba asked, making no effort to hide his irritation.

Chikara sucked in a deep breath.  _ Here goes.  _ “A trade. Information for information.”

The few seconds before Yahaba replied most likely shaved a few years off Chikara’s life. “What kind of information?”

“Something to benefit the team,” Chikara replied a bit too quickly. “I can tell them I’d gathered information while I was away. Daichi-san is too trusting to not believe it.”

“You’d waste your ‘payment’ on the team?” Yahaba asked, as if the concept was hard to believe.

_ You hypocrite. You’d give up anything for Seijou.  _ “It’ll help regain their trust. You don’t need me to tell you how much you’ll benefit from that.”

The line grew quiet again as Yahaba considered the option. “If you want to know about the attack, then give up the idea now.”

“If you know anything at all, we could follow up on it for you. I could tell you anything we find from your lead.”

“I said give up on the idea.”

_ Just as I suspected. He doesn’t know. _ Yahaba wouldn’t pass up the chance to get Karasuno to follow up on a lead like that, not when he could get any inside info at the snap of his fingers.

Thankfully, that wasn’t the only information Chikara was hoping to get his hands on. “Okay,” he replied with some resignation. “Maybe there’s another attack you have some information about, something older…”

“Four years older, you mean?”

Chikara nodded, trying to ignore the nerves scratching at his stomach.

“I might have a lead for you to follow. Provided you report to me everything you learn. And that you have that information to trade that you mentioned.”

Chikara let out a deep breath, relief beginning to wash over him. “Telling you something now  _ and  _ reporting to you after? That’s not much of balanced transaction.”

“Do you want the lead or not?”

_ Desperately.  _ “Fine. I’ll go along with it this time.” 

“Out with it, Ennoshita. What’s this ‘something interesting’ you wanted to tell me?”

He had a small mental list of ‘something interesting’s to share, all his spy would have already told him. But Yahaba could only let on that he knew so much without making himself suspicious. “Do you know about the ship’s virtual intelligence?”

_ “Virtual  _ my ass,” Yahaba replied. “I know about the artificial intelligence. I hope you have something better in mind.”

“I do. He has a body built by Nekoma now.”

“A what?!”

Chikara had expected a few reactions; a smug ‘I already know’, a nonchalant ‘What about it?’, a faked ‘Oh, tell me more’ to string him along. He hadn’t by any means expected the genuine surprise. “What features does it have? What’s it look like?”

_ Shouldn’t his agent have told him? …Was I wrong about the agent? Did I just put Suga-san in danger?  _ “I don’t know the features he has yet.”  _ I hadn’t expected to get this far on this one.  _ “I only know that he looks exactly like a human. I’m sure I’ll learn more by the time we finish a mission.”

“Learn all that you can. Does Shiratorizawa’s AI have one?”

_ Right. Shiratorizawa.  _ The one group most desperate to get their claws on Seijou. “I don’t know yet. I’ll find out for you.”

“Make that a priority,” Yahaba replied, though it was muffled by the sounds of something shuffling on his end. “I’m pulling up the file for the attack now. I’ll contact you when you finish the job. Make this worth my while if you want to stay in business.”

Chikara couldn’t help the wide grin taking over him; piece by piece, his plan was falling into place.

* * *

First order of business when he greeted Daichi on the ship with Ryuu was to tell the both of them whatever he could. “Do you remember when I told you I found a lead when I was gone, Daichi-san?” he commented as they walked through the ship’s empty halls for any spying ears to hear.

“I didn’t forget. We’re ready to leave whenever, so just tell Hinata the coordinates and we’ll check it out,” Daichi replied as he walked through the washroom door.

Chikara made a mental note to keep the secret washroom meetings rare; if two or three of them made a habit of walking in together often, there’s no way it wouldn’t raise suspicion. And he’d rather not deal with Yahaba’s teasing if he thought it was another affair. “There’s a problem,” Chikara announced to the two when the door slid shut.

Ryuu raised a confused eyebrow. “You got what ya wanted though, right? The plan worked?”

“I did. He told me what I wanted, but,” Chikara leaned against the sink, gaze cast to the ground, “he had no idea about Suga-san’s body. I think I was wrong about the agent.”

“That’s the opposite of a problem, Chikara.” Ryuu stood beside him, draping his arm over Chikara’s shoulder. “If there ain’t any agent, then-”

“Not so fast, Tanaka. There  _ is  _ an agent.”

“But he said-”

“He said that there’s something different going on than what we’re expecting,” Daichi finished for him. “Suga’s found recording devices around the ship.”

Chikara felt a misplaced relief; at least he wasn’t wrong about the agent, not that that was a good thing. “That means we can’t be in here long without drawing attention.” There was no sense discussing an agent they couldn’t act against yet, anyway. “Yahaba gave me the coordinates. It should take us about ten hours to get there. His information isn’t direct - it’s a few suspicious leads that tie together. All of the information is at least a year old, too, so there’s a chance we’ll find nothing at all.”

“What should we prepare for?”

Chikara gave them a wry smile. “Hell.”

* * *

Talking to Hinata again when he gave him the coordinates was endearing, if a bit much; his time with Ryuu was mostly too serious to prepare him for Hinata’s overwhelming enthusiasm. Seeing Kinoshita and Narita again helped ease his nerves as they walked around the ship, but none of them made any sort of big deal over their reunion; they'd been apart for long periods before. Even if this one felt different, - and a bit awkward, after their melancholic farewell before, - doing anything more than casually remarking on it felt out of place.

The conversation with Suga was less smooth; he managed to ask all Yahaba wanted to know, but only after a few heavy hints and taking advantage of Suga’s voice analysis to give Suga an honest idea of why he was asking. A portable holo-screen, cameras in his eyes, various scanners - his body had most of the same features he had on the ship. It was enough to report to Yahaba to keep him happy, and nothing damning enough to put Suga in any trouble.

Now Chikara just had one task left: get back into his room for the first time since his return.

“Ryuu.” Chikara placed his hands on Ryuu’s shoulders - with the passing wonder yet again if he wasn’t still dreaming that he could do this so casually - and attempted to gently nudge him out of the doorway. “What are you hiding? You know I’ll need to get in there eventually.”

“I ain’t hidin’ nothing,” Ryuu shot back quickly, refusing to budge from his spot. “I was, uh, just thinkin’ that… we could sleep together. In my bed. Right over there.”

“Suga-san, could you open my door, please?” Chikara asked in the direction of the hallway intercom.

The door slid open without the usual remark from Suga, revealing a mess he hadn’t expected from what he could see over Ryuu’s shoulder. Ryuu didn’t look his way, weakly moving aside as Chikara passed by him through the door. He had always kept the room, or any other room he had ever stayed in, clean despite his instinct to toss things wherever; he needed all his belongings organized in case he needed to destroy them, or take them along as he fled. 

His laptop was intact, but it was left open on its side on the floor. A black tanktop topped the pile of clothes on the desk. The sheet on the bed was peeling off the corners, the blanket was crumpled and hanging off the edge. Chikara didn’t need an analytical mind to put the pieces together. “Ryuu…”

“Don’t look at me like that.” Ryuu leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed over his chest and gaze cast away when Chikara turned his way. “I’ve had enough of that look. I don’t need your pity.”

Chikara felt at a loss; he was hyper aware of each of his movements, of every possible word as he tried to find what to say. When words failed him, he let his feet guide his way, instead. He wrapped his arms around Ryuu’s waist, snaking his hands between his back and the doorframe. Ryuu’s crossed arms broke apart to lightly return the embrace. “Thought I said no pity.”

“No pity, just…” Chikara rested his chin on Ryuu’s shoulder, a wisp of a sigh escaping him when Ryuu copied the motion. “I can finally hold you. I’m not going to take this for granted again.”

“Better not,” Ryuu mumbled into his shoulder.

Kissing Ryuu was incredible, but this - just standing like this with Ryuu in his arms… Chikara could do this for hours, all night if his legs wouldn’t eventually give in. He’d only held him like this once before, Chikara remembered as the rise and fall of their chests synced with their steady heartbeats. 

It hurt back then, Ryuu shaking in his arms after the nightmares woke him. Chikara tried to ignore the whispers in the back of his mind asking,  _ How many nightmares did I miss?  _ He couldn’t reverse time and change his mistakes; he could only use this opportunity he didn’t deserve to make it right. 

He tilted his head to rest it against Ryuu’s, running the various possibilities of the morrow’s mission in his mind, considering the obstacles about to put his skills to the test-

“Hey, Chikara?” Ryuu mumbled into his shoulder again, pulling Chikara from his thoughts. “There’s, uh, there’s a way to… When they make these ships for long-term crew, they make the walls so they go up.” Chikara wasn’t sure exactly what he meant, so he stayed silent, letting Ryuu continue with his thumbs nervously twiddling against Chikara’s back. “So that two people can join rooms. If they want. I-if you want.”

_ Join rooms?  _ That was no different than moving in together, wasn’t it? They’d already see each other every day, and their rooms were only one (apparently adjustable) wall apart.  _ Do we really need that?  _ the remaining shred of hesitation in his mind whispered. 

“Y-ya don’t needta answer that now. And if ya do wanna, you can always change your mind, ya know? It’s not… Doesn’t need to be, uh, a big deal or anythin’,” Ryuu stuttered, refusing to face him when Chikara lifted his head off his shoulder.

The details had faded over the years, but Chikara could never forget the first museum he snuck into. The satisfaction of stepping foot inside after months of planning. The thrill coursing through him as he maneuvered around the cameras and sleeping security guards. The disappointment that grew with each step through the empty halls, each attraction growing less appealing as he passed by them with too much ease.

The one moment he could remember more vividly was when his eyes landed on the wooden carving. There was nothing particular about it; he couldn’t recall the carving itself. It was a wolf, or maybe a dragon - some sort of beast, about the size of a cement block and at a fraction of the weight. 

It wasn’t the carving that caught his eyes, but the door it opened. He could have left it - he could have walked out of the museum with nothing more than the memory, gone back to his boring life filled with white picket fences and regrets.

Or he could walk through the door into a new life filled with risks and excitement, a life beyond his wildest dreams.

He just needed to take that first step, to abandon hesitation and grab the wooden carving before him.

“Let’s do it.”

Ryuu lifted his head, eyes wide when he met Chikara’s gaze. “Yeah?”

“Yeah. Right now,” he replied, doing his best to hold in the goofy smile trying to take over his lips when Ryuu grinned so brightly.

“Yeah. Yeah! Let’s do it!” Ryuu practically giggled as he pulled from Chikara’s embrace. “Suga-san, how can we lift the wall?”

“The divider has six clamps on either side. Once you’ve unclasped them, I lift it via the ship’s systems,” Suga replied through the intercom.

Ryuu pulled the bed away from the wall, its feet scraping against the floor before two of the clamps on the floor came into view. “I’ll get the ones in your room,” Chikara told Ryuu as he turned towards the door.

Ryuu’s room was barely cleaner, fewer clothes on his desk and his bed pushed against the wall was made and left untouched. Chikara spared it no lingering thought, setting to the task of pulling the bed from the wall and working on the clamps. A sliver of excitement began to grow as he undid each clamp, each  _ click  _ spurring him to work faster.

There was no stopping his goofy smirk this time as the divider lifted at Suga’s command, revealing Ryuu on the other side smiling from ear to ear. “The beds clamp together,” Ryuu began as he pulled the blankets off, pushing the bed frames together and fiddling with something between the mattresses. Chikara had no idea the mattresses unfolded in half until he watched Ryuu pull the sheets off.

The reality of the scene playing out before him - of everything, really - struck once they stacked the mattresses, leaving a large bed smack dab in the middle of the room.

_ Their  _ bed.  _ Their  _ room.

He was really back. He was back, and he’d be sleeping in Ryuu’s arms every night. He’d wake every morning on this ship, spend each day with this crew, spend each evening with the man of his dreams.

“Now that we got this nice, big bed, you know what that means,” Ryuu smirked.

“It means we need to move some furniture so everything fits.” Chikara took delight in the obvious pout Ryuu shot his way. “If we move the desks over to the walls, we can push the bed over there.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Ryuu thankfully gave no arguments as he followed Chikara’s lead. “Hey, Chikara?” he began as they each grabbed an edge of a desk. “What’s your favorite movie?”

Chikara glanced behind his shoulder as he walked backwards towards the wall. “Hm. Probably ‘Stolen Memory’.”

“Never heard of it.”

“It wasn’t a huge hit, though I can't figure out why not. Everything about it is stunning. It’s about-”

“Don’t tell me!” Ryuu interrupted as they slid the desk against the wall. “We’ll watch it together some time.”

Curling up together, watching his favorite movie? Had he ever enjoyed a movie cuddled up with someone? “That sounds nice,” he replied, catching the turn of Ryuu’s lips as he bent down to grab the laptop off the floor. “What about you? What’s your favorite?”

“...Pragia.”

“Pragia? Isn’t that a romance?”

“...Had good character development,” Ryuu mumbled, likely oblivious to the pink staining his cheeks.

“It did. Fantastic character development,” Chikara agreed. “Can’t wait to see it again.” He turned quickly towards the other desk to hide his own blush. “You do know the ship has laundry baskets, right?”

“People actually use those?”

“So I hear.”

Ryuu grabbed one edge of the desk with the toppling pile of clothes. “Does the mess bug ya?”

“No, it’s fine,” Chikara replied as he lifted the other end. Honestly, he wouldn’t mind tossing his clothes wherever, either.

“What’s your favorite restaurant?” Ryuu asked as he directed the second desk towards a different wall, a few shirts and socks leaving a trail as they fell.

“Hm. I'm not sure. I only ate at cheap places when I was on the run.” He adjusted the desk against its new wall, wiggling it into place.

“I know some nice places I could show ya next time we’ve got shore leave.”

“Are you asking me on a date?”

“M-Maybe- Hey, what’re you laughin’ at?”

_ You're cute when you’re shy.  _ “I’m looking forward to it,” he hummed, turning away to hide his blush again. He was getting good at it, with all this practice Ryuu was giving him. “Now we can push the bed so the head is against that opening.”

The bed was pushed, the sheets tucked over the corners, blankets tossed on top. “What’s your favorite song?” Ryuu asked as Chikara sat on the edge of the bed.

“What’s with all the questions?” 

“I wanna know things about ya. Do ya like dancing?”

“Haven’t tried it in a while.”

Ryuu halted his steps, hesitating in place before changing his course from the other side of the bed to walk towards Chikara instead. “D-do ya wanna? Dance, I mean,” Ryuu stuttered, offering his hand.

There was no hiding the burning in his cheeks this time as he reached for Ryuu’s hand, letting the other man pull him up and guide him to the small bit of clear space on the floor after they kicked a stray sock away.

“Suga-san, could you play a song? S-somethin’ slow.”

A familiar tune kicked through the room’s intercom, and Ryuu wrapped an arm around him, his real hand still holding Chikara’s. Ryuu took a shy first step to lead them, and then another, the two doing little more than swaying in their cramped space between the bed and a dresser.

Chikara snuck his other hand under Ryuu’s arm to rest it on his shoulder blade, and as he grew more comfortable when the lyrics began, he pressed himself tighter against Ryuu, resting his head on his shoulder.

Chikara hadn’t contemplated the lyrics much before, only vaguely paying attention whenever the love song played on the radio. But now that Ryuu was humming along with the words and holding him closer during the first chorus, he had a new appreciation for it - an appreciation for capturing the simplicity of his feelings in the chaos he had made of them, and an appreciation for the way Ryuu held him tighter as they stepped to its slow rhythm.

Chikara turned his head to bury his face against the warm skin of Ryuu’s neck. Over and over again the day felt like a dream - waking up beside him, being able to hold his hand, the little touches and glances Chikara denied himself before. It was easier to reach out to him when he was convinced it was fleeting, a manifestation of his lonely mind desperate for Ryuu’s touch. When Ryuu unlinked their hands to run his fingers through the back of Chikara’s hair, he sighed at the touch. Maybe it would be easier to accept the reality if he’d earned it, he considered as he draped both arms over Ryuu’s shoulders.

_ Maybe I’ll lead next time.  _ Chikara was grateful he could hide the goofy smile creeping back onto his lips against Ryuu’s neck.  _ ‘Next time.’  _ Something about that felt crazier than the fact he was a thief of secrets, crazier than the fact he was on a ship with dead heroes and a mobile AI. Everything about Ryuu still wanting him after what he put him through felt crazy, but there Ryuu was, solid against him and carding his fingers through his hair as he lead their simple steps.  _ I’ll let him lead next time, too. I’ve led him through enough.  _ And, he considered a bit selfishly, he liked being in Ryuu’s embrace like this, with Ryuu oblivious to just how tightly his fake arm was holding him.

Chikara hadn’t noticed when the song had long stopped playing, still swaying to Ryuu’s lead and listening to Ryuu’s humming as neither made an effort to part. 

Suga’s announcement in the hall was muffled through the doors. “Arriving at our destination in approximately seven hours.”

Chikara let out a defeated sigh. “We should get some sleep, Ryuu.” 

"For your mission, right? Gonna tell me what it's about yet?" Ryuu asked, pressing a kiss to his earlobe.

Chikara always wondered how he'd fare in an interrogation if he was unwilling to cooperate - he didn't think he could hold information for long depending on the methods to get him to talk; but he was certain now if said methods were Ryuu kissing that close to his neck, he'd break instantly. For a kiss on the neck, he'd tell him any truth they'd want to hear.  _ Just a little while longer.  _ "You heard what I told the captain. 'Bad guys' with weapons. Your favorite to fight. And we need to rest so you have plenty of energy to kick their asses."

"Hmph. Fine," Ryuu grunted, and Chikara was grateful that was answer enough; if Ryuu kissed his ear again, he might spill it all.

Without warning, Ryuu bent to hook his hands behind Chikara’s thighs and lift him up. “W-what are you doing?!” Chikara squawked, his arms wrapped behind Ryuu’s neck gripping tighter.

“Helpin’ ya to the bed.” Chikara tried to not consider in too much detail the advantages of Ryuu carrying him effortlessly, -  _ Thank the gods for his heavy armor.  _ \- the thoughts interrupted when Ryuu purposefully sent them falling onto the bed. Not that Ryuu grinning down at him helped his focus. “Guess ya like dancing after all.”

“I guess I do,” Chikara replied with an amused hum, brushing his fingertips over the back of Ryuu’s neck.

Ryuu tucked an arm under Chikara’s shoulder to run his fingers through Chikara’s hair. “Still didn’t tell me your fave song.”

Chikara thought for a moment, considering the songs that came to mind and what they meant to him. “I think it’s that one, now.”

Chikara decided he quite liked the way Ryuu was quick to blush and liked even more how eager Ryuu was to lean down to bring his lips to his-

“Get some  _ sleep,  _ you two,” Daichi scolded through the door as his footsteps passed by.

“Yes,  _ Dad,”  _ Ryuu muttered quietly.

Chikara couldn’t help his snicker. “He’s right. We need to sleep.” He pushed Ryuu’s shoulders, urging him up despite how badly he wanted to stay just like that, with Ryuu on top of him on their bed-  _ Another night.  _ “I need to change into pajamas, Ryuu,” he laughed when Ryuu refused to budge, hiding his face in the crook of Chikara’s neck.

“Can sleep naked,” Ryuu mumbled into his neck.

_ “Pajamas,  _ Ryuu.”

Ryuu groaned as he reluctantly sat up, giving a fake pout as Chikara walked towards the dresser. “I don’t need a shirt, right? ‘S’how I sleep.”

“That’s fine, but these aren’t optional,” Chikara replied as he tossed him a pair of cotton pants.

It was strange, pulling down the blankets to a bed larger than any he’d slept in for years, crawling in beside the man that drove him crazy as if it was some casual thing, an average nightly ritual they’d been doing for years. Ryuu’s arm wrapping around him, Ryuu leaning in to softly kiss him - he wasn’t one for applauding his own efforts often, but Chikara gave himself a mental pat on the back when he resisted the urge to deepen the kiss, and when he resisted the urge to kiss him again after their whispered  _ ‘Good nights’.  _ He was especially proud when he resisted the urge to keep his eyes open and watch Ryuu as he slept. 

_ Another night. After tomorrow, we’ll have all the time in the star system. _

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>   
>  [](http://starlity.tumblr.com/post/154836673992/happy-birthday-morisuke-kun-%EF%BE%89-%E3%83%AE-%EF%BE%89%EF%BE%9F-hello)   
>    
> 
> 
> [aaaaaaAAAAAAAAAA LOOOK ](http://starlity.tumblr.com/post/154836673992/happy-birthday-morisuke-kun-%EF%BE%89-%E3%83%AE-%EF%BE%89%EF%BE%9F-hello)[AT THIS](http://starlity.tumblr.com/post/154836673992/happy-birthday-morisuke-kun-%EF%BE%89-%E3%83%AE-%EF%BE%89%EF%BE%9F-hello) CAN YOU BELIEVE HOW INCREDIBLE [STARLITY](http://starlity.tumblr.com/) IS CAUSE I CANNOT.
> 
> ALSO HAVE YOU SEEN [THE KISS](https://thepessimistsblog.tumblr.com/post/155133270481/y-you-ready-for-this-excuse-me-do-you-remember) YET BY [THEPESSIMIST](https://thepessimistsblog.tumblr.com/) YET CAUSE HOLY F


	13. free (pt.2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And that was it. No berating. No walk of shame. Just nodding along, Daichi bringing his hands together to catch their attention. _Right. If this were a movie scene, it would be from a feel-good action flick for preteens._ The side character was pulled along as if he had never left. _Just missing a soundtrack, maybe some terrible pop song about friendship._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Warnings:** There are two scenes to mention here, and both are marked to make them easier to skip if they're not your thing. The first has extended nudity but is not sexual in nature. It'll begin with [+] and end with [-]. The second _is_ sexual, and it'll begin with [+++] and end with [---]. (I told myself to tone it down, but I failed miserably at that. Oops.) There will be about one NSFW scene per chapter (minus epilogue), all will be similarly marked.
> 
> Word count: 14,259  
> [Sia - Bird Set Free](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrT_0J6m6y8)

“Daichi requests everyone’s presence at the command center in 30 minutes.”

If he had to choose how to die, Chikara would choose his current predicament: face smothered into Ryuu’s pecs as the soldier pulled him closer. As tempting as it was, though, he couldn't die today. They had plans. “Ryuu, we need to get up,” he mumbled into the skin.

Ryuu groaned in response, burying his face into Chikara’s hair.

“Ryuu…” It was hard to rouse the other when he didn’t want to get up himself; he wouldn't have minded staying like this for a few more hours, even if he was suffocating.

Ennoshita didn't have much experience waking his boyfriend, either. Blowing raspberries against his skin didn't catch his attention in the least. Trying to push him away was a bust. He even tried tickling behind his knee - nothing, even the weak spot Saeko told him about was immune. _Damn it. Asking Saeko about this never even crossed my mind._ How could he convince him to- “Why do you get scared whenever Daichi-san mentions the airlock?”

“I ain’t scared,” Ryuu declared at an impressive speed, sitting up in the blink of an eye and leaving a chill. _Maybe that was a bit too much,_ Chikara decided, chuckling despite it and pulling the blanket over his suddenly cold shoulders.

Ryuu’s sudden enthusiasm to get up didn't last long at all; when he caught Chikara’s eye, he leaned back down on his elbow, lips hovering over Chikara’s. “I can think of a few things we can do in 30 minutes…”

“I can think of a few things, too,” Chikara replied, continuing right before Ryuu’s lips met his, “like wash our faces.” He smiled as Ryuu groaned against his lips, pulling away just enough to add, “brush our teeth.” Ryuu kissed him again with another childish groan, and Chikara continued, “Change our clothes,” another kiss with another playful whine, “brush our hair-”

Ryuu's glare had no real bite to it. “You fight dirty, Chikara.”

“I like your hair as it is,” Chikara confessed with an amused quirk of his lips, the shaved hairs softer than he anticipated as he brushed his fingers over them. “C’mon, we need to get ready.”

“Yeah, yeah. I get it.” Ryuu’s lips twitched before they caved into a smile, kissing Chikara’s brow before he sat back up.

“Ryuu?” Chikara sat up, too, placing his hand over Ryuu’s. He hesitated, curling his fingers over Ryuu’s hand to hold it tighter. _It’s better to talk things out, isn’t it?_ “About those ‘few things’ you had in mind…”

Long gone was Ryuu’s seductive side from a minute ago, replaced by blushing and stuttering. “I-it’s not- It’s nothin’, ya know, was just- Nothin’ we gotta do if you don’t wanna-”

_Wonder how much of a stuttering mess he would have been if I’d accepted._ “I do want to,” Chikara replied, “badly,” he added as his eyes lingered over Ryuu’s bare chest, admiring how Ryuu’s blush spread to his ears. “But we have time now, right? We don’t need to rush.” _As much as I want to. But there’s no need-_

Ryuu interrupted his thoughts with a kiss, slow and firm as he kept his closed lips pressed against Chikara’s. Chikara closed his eyes and sighed into the kiss, Ryuu’s hand on the back of his neck keeping him near. It was hard to not chase Ryuu’s lips when he broke the kiss, but Chikara knew if they started kissing now, they’d never stop.

“You’re right. We got time-”

“Meeting in 20 minutes,” Suga chirped through the intercom.

“-just not right now,” Chikara finished for him with an apologetic smile. _After this, we’ll kiss all you want. And then some._

Ryuu let go reluctantly to rise to his feet, offering Chikara his hand. “Let’s get ready. I ain’t itchin’ to piss off Daichi-san.”

* * *

_If this were a movie, this would be my walk of shame. The scene where the guilty side character comes crawling back with his head bowed and his tail tucked between his legs._

Walking back into the crowded command center was more nerve-wracking than he expected. He’d spoken to most of the team by now, but there were still a few faces he hadn’t greeted; Yachi and Yamaguchi waving at him and Tsukishima’s polite nod eased him a little, at least. Being surrounded by them all, though, standing at this table with this team where he didn’t belong-

“What’s the plan, Ennoshita?”

At Daichi’s words, all turned to him. _I feel like I should be nervous, but..._ "Be prepared for a tough fight. We're dealing with a group of well-funded researchers, which means armed security. I can disable turrets, but there could be new surprises we haven't dealt with yet." Maybe it was from repeating the details in his mind over and over the past day, but the words came naturally, the shadows of anxiety scattering at the spotlight on him. “There’s a high chance there’s captives. I'll look for ways to protect them before you come in.”

And that was it. No berating. No walk of shame. Just nodding along, Daichi bringing his hands together to catch their attention. _Right. If this were a movie scene, it would be from a feel-good action flick for preteens._ The side character was pulled along as if he had never left. _Just missing a soundtrack, maybe some terrible pop song about friendship._

More than pulled along, he was put in charge. _No time to wallow in my regrets; I have a job to do._

“There’s a Dateko unit and Wakutani unit stationed nearby,” Daichi stated. “If there’s nothing else- Yes, Tsukishima?”

Tsukishima lowered his hand. “Can we trust this?” he asked plainly, no bite to his words. “Where did Ennoshita-san get this lead? How do we know this isn’t a trap?”

“Why you-”

Chikara instinctively snatched Ryuu and Nishinoya by the backs of their shirts before they could leap over the table. He made a mental note of how they both went limp like cats being carried by the scruff; no doubt he’d need to make use of this in the future. Not that he didn’t appreciate them literally jumping to his defense. “He has a point. I don’t have any way to prove it’s trustworthy,” he confessed, scrambling for some way to prove himself by word. _Why didn’t I think this part through?_ Thinking every angle was part of his job, it was how he had escaped Dateko for so long, how he had worked so well with Seijou-

“Because the information is classified,” Daichi finished for him. “I can confirm its legitimacy, Tsukishima.”

Daichi truly was too trusting, but now was hardly the time to complain. “Understood, Captain.” Tsukishima’s disinterested expression didn’t change; Chikara had noticed it enough before to take that as a good sign.

“Any other questions?” When the room remained quiet, Daichi dismissed them with a clap of his hands. “Then it’s time to suit up.”

* * *

With each passing minute, it was beginning to feel more and more like the past three months were the dream instead of his return. The meeting with everyone around the command center, strapping on his stealth suit, stepping onto the shuttle - the motions came more naturally than his cheap alarm clock, his faded red apron, his cramped bus ride to the diner.

“Aren’t you nervous, Ennoshita-san?” Yamaguchi asked, standing across from him in the shuttle and gripping the bar overhead. He couldn’t see it through his gloves, but Chikara was willing to bet Yamaguchi was holding the bar too tightly, if the slight tremor in his voice was enough to go by.

Chikara was grateful for the unspoken _‘because it’s been awhile.’_ “A little.” Though not as nervous as he thought he would be; since Daichi directed the attention to him in the command center, it felt too much like it was _his_ mission, with everyone following his lead. Especially now in the shuttle with each occasional question shot his way, even a few from Daichi. He'd worked in the shadows for years - _Why am I not worried about the spotlight shining on me now?_ Leading felt like the missions and heists; no matter how nervous he was, the moment he stepped on the stage the fear was crushed by adrenaline. “It usually goes away after it starts. Does that happen for you?”

“Sometimes, but,” Yamaguchi looked to the floor, “not right away.”

“You shoulda seen the shot he made last time!” Ryuu piped in, thwacking Yamaguchi’s back a little too enthusiastically and sending him half a foot forward. “He saved my ass! Got a guy with just one shot from 40 yards away. How the hell did ya learn to aim like that?!”

“Tanaka-san’s exaggerating…” Judging by the small smile Yamaguchi was fighting, Ryuu couldn’t have been exaggerating by much, and he knew it.

_“The facility is 80 yards ahead,”_ Suga reported through their comms as the shuttle came to a halt, _“but it doesn’t appear to be much.”_

The screen by Kinoshita’s window zoomed in on the view, and Chikara’s stomach dropped at the sight. It was hard to imagine all that Yahaba described could be hiding inside the average looking warehouse only a few floors high. _They’re leaving their loading doors open. Would an illegal operation be so lenient?_

“Is this what you were expecting, Ennoshita?”

"Not at all, Daichi-san. We're looking for someone who's making black market pharmaceuticals. I expected something more... discreet."

"They don't need to be discreet," Tsukishima stated, standing from his seat to get a better look at the screen. "Shiratorizawa isn't going to bother with anything medical related unless they were a threat. Acting discreet would make them more suspicious."

"I hope you're right." Chikara couldn't afford to string Karasuno along. _If Yahaba's wrong about this, I may not get another chance._

"I don't get it. Why're we goin' after some black market crap?” Ryuu rose to his feet to stand beside him, armored hand naturally finding its way to his back. “You made it seem like somethin' bigger was happening."

"If I'm right, there is. The black market deals are to keep their other operation funded." _An operation that ends today._ “I’m going to check it out."

He noticed the slight tremor in his hand for the first time as his helmet slipped out of his grasp and rolled to Ryuu's feet.

"Looks like someone's nervous after all," Ryuu remarked with a smirk as he bent down.

He offered an appreciative nod as Ryuu handed him the helmet. "It... has been a little while," he confessed, catching his blurred reflection in the helmet's shine.

"You don't gotta worry. I know you'll do fine." Ryuu grabbed his wrists gently, leaning forward over the helmet between them to bring their lips together briefly. When they parted, Ryuu peered into his eyes, still close enough for Chikara to taste the hesitation on Ryuu's lips as the soldier gathered his courage for his next few words. "I've got faith you can do anything, because..."

_Here? Now?_ The middle of the shuttle with the rest of the team around them was hardly the place for a confession, but Chikara didn’t have it in him to push him away, his heart beginning to race as he waited with bated breath.

"You stole my heart."

_Ah._ Just like that, all the coiled anticipation was gone, dead as the glare he cast in Ryuu's direction. “I’ll beep three times over the comm when it’s safe to follow,” he stated flatly as he strapped his helmet on.

"Nothing? I've been savin' that pickup line-"

Chikara stepped out of the shuttle door before Ryuu had the chance to say any more.

_"Filing that brilliant line away in my databases for future reference,"_ Suga teased. Chikara couldn't retort back out loud, but if he could, the remarks he was torn between were ‘Shove it up your exhaust pipe’ and 'Get your own cheesy pickup line'.

Heel to toe, heel to toe, caution fueling every step. If fate was on their side, he'd find not only Ryuu’s closure inside, but his missing teammates, too.

He couldn't tell Ryuu what they were doing; he couldn't risk seeing Ryuu’s eyes light up with hope just to dim again if _anything_ went wrong. He couldn't promise they'd take down his ambushers here and now, couldn't promise he'd get back any of his old teammates alive and safe.

But he could try his best to give Ryuu the chance to see Saeko again. The two had waited long enough.

_“There's a group of researchers that went missing after their proposals for Connected research were denied. Said proposals were something along the lines of ‘human experimentation isn’t_ that _bad’,”_ Yahaba had explained over the familiar tapping of his keyboard the day before. _“They disappeared together with a lot of money and equipment one week before your boyfriend's attack. They needed people, and your boy’s people went missing. After a few more well-timed ‘coincidences’, we linked them together with a group making loads off the black market. Hope you’re ready to deal with security that fights back.”_

Chikara had dealt with all types of “security” in his past life as a thief - sensors, cameras, guards, even the rare turret or combat droid. This wasn’t his first time since joining Karasuno that he’d need to open the path and fight back. It wasn’t even the first time the lives of others would be on the line. _But the stakes feel so much higher now._

_One step at a time. First, I need to find the security room._

_Maybe they’re careless with the loading area because it doesn’t lead to what they’re hiding._ He stepped past the open door, taking a glance to find two people chatting inside, one leaning against a truck as the casual conversation flowed. _Delivery drivers? Do the even know what’s inside those crates?_ He looked over every wall, every nook and cranny of the building as he walked around the side, but no cameras or even any guards came into view. _Please tell me Yahaba isn’t wrong about this,_ he pleaded mentally as he turned the corner.

The fire escape that scaled the side of the warehouse was nothing more than a rickety steel staircase, but in that moment to Chikara it was a stairway to hope. He took each step slowly, as silent as he could manage and wincing at every inevitable creak as he climbed upwards.

The camera locked onto the rooftop doorway and the two men in armor standing guard were more glimmering slivers of hope.

_Two guards in front of the door. Whatever shall I do._ He held his breath, reached out between the two guards oblivious of the stealthed man before them, and knocked.

They both looked to the door, then to each other.

“Why’d they knock?”

“No idea.”

They glanced back at the door, shrugged to each other, and faced frontward again.

Chikara knocked again.

They looked to the door again.

“Was that you?”

“Not me.”

They glanced back at each other, and Chikara wished for a moment they weren’t wearing their helmets so he could see their expressions before they turned away again.

He reached out once more to rap his knuckles on the door.

“Hey, whoever’s there, quit screwing around,” one grumbled as they used the keypad to slide the door open, and Chikara slipped inside while he had the chance.

“It _was_ you!”

“I’m telling you, it wasn’t me!” the two bickered as the door slid shut.

Chikara walked down the stairwell carefully, knocking on the door at the end. It slid open at the command of another confused guard, - only one, this time - and Chikara slipped inside again to find himself standing in a forked hallway.

_Now we guess._ Without a layout of the place, all he could do was follow his instincts and the patterns he’d seen over the years. _Let’s try left._

The lack of people in the halls was unsettling, and as he followed the single guard he encountered into the room at the end, he found out why; in each of the numerous screens in the surveillance room, at least one combat droid stood guard.

_Shit._

Human guards had flaws and limits. Turrets could be turned off from the room he stood in with ease. But droids? Droids could only be dismantled or reprogrammed one at a time by whoever held their remotes. Droids could take a few shots and deal even more. Droids had terrifying precision that didn’t falter even as they went down.

And the droids weren’t the worst of it.

_“I’ll alert the others,”_ Suga stated without his usual cheer before he went silent again.

At the very least, he conceded with a bitter laugh, he had the right place. On one of the monitors he got the view he regretfully hoped to find; lined along the walls in one of the rooms on the screen were pods, at least a dozen filled with some sort of medical gel - and a person slept inside each.

After a few too-long minutes spent staring at the console, Suga finally offered good news. _“Daichi has a plan.”_

* * *

_"Don't strike until they're onto us."_

Timing was the key with captives on the line. Too soon, and he'd alert the enemy that he had breached their security room. Too late, and the researchers shuffling about might decide it's best to 'destroy the evidence'. The building layout was working against them; being discreet wasn't exactly an option with the team of five men in heavy armor climbing a steel staircase.

Which left Chikara frozen in place with a tranquilizer in hand as he waited, trying his best to focus on his breathing instead of the guard only two feet away as the minutes ticked by.

The moment the rooftop camera showed their guards running to check out the noise, he moved, sticking the tranquilizer needle through the thinner fabric on the neck of the guard's armor.

The guard jerked in his grasp, his attempt to call out no more than strained gasp as Chikara eased him to the ground.

_"Focus on locking the doors first."_

The captives’ safety was the highest priority, Chikara reminded himself with clenched teeth as he watched the turrets take their aim at Ryuu storming through the halls with Daichi and Asahi close behind. Ryuu's armor could handle it, and he had no trouble shooting the turrets down as he pushed through, but...

_Get a hold of yourself, Chikara. Nothing can take down Ko's baby brother._

The door behind him clicked as it locked, and he caught the researchers on the monitors pounding on the doors or scrambling around their labs. He kept an eye on the single researcher trapped inside the room with the captives; thankfully, they were too preoccupied with fighting the door to bother the pods. _If that changes, I’ll need to go after them._

Too bad the droids had already left their stations to deal with the intruders, their mechanical legs already marching towards Ryuu and the others.

_“Once the doors are locked you can power down the turrets.”_

The turrets mounted every twenty feet along each hall fell lifeless at his command, their lights dimming and shots halting as Chikara’s fingers skittered across the console’s keys. The turrets no longer a threat, Suga signaled to the last two to begin their approach, Tsukishima leading the way for Yamaguchi with his body-length shield as cover down the opposite hall.

But the droids had long left their stations and were beginning to crowd the other three, pairs of two on each side appearing before their shields had a chance to recover.

_Ryuu can handle this. He’s survived these assholes once before._

He couldn’t do anything to help with the droids, but maybe he could provide some extra motivation. If Chikara was right about why the droids were appearing in small numbers, they’d need all the motivation they could get. “Suga-san, am I right in assuming Ryuu fights best when he’s angry?”

_“You are correct. His performance is optimal when he’s enraged.”_

“Can you access the facility’s records from the shuttle?”

_“I’ll need you to do more on your end first. I’ll walk you through it.”_

While he followed Suga’s orders, he glanced between the various monitors as the two groups made their separate ways to the main clearing on the second floor. The key to gaining control was there - if they could defeat the rest of their defenses, the researchers would have no choice but to surrender.

Chikara was never really into action scenes; they lacked the appeal espionage offered, wit and subtle acts lost in favor of in-your-face stunts and explosions. While other viewers would watch from the edges of their seats, he’d zone out with a yawn, any attention spent on criticizing the excessive amount of cuts of an actor jumping over a fence to an unnecessarily intense soundtrack.

But now that it was personal as he watched the action unfold on the screens, he could understand the awe, the building anticipation with every gunshot and the satisfaction of every fallen droid. There was no need for an unnecessarily intense soundtrack to keep his attention, to nearly pump his fist and cheer when the last of the droids fell in the hallway fell and the door to the main clearing opened to the victors.

Victory, at least, until their eyes fell on the mech suit towering above at least two dozen more droids.

Whoever designed the mech suit had nothing other than pure destruction in mind; about four feet wide and tall enough to reach the second floor’s balcony, it sacrificed utility for offense, with heavy guns in place of proper arms to grip anything. With the armor plating covering all but the cockpit window, it was hard to catch sight of the guard piloting it.

_Nothing can take down Ko’s baby brother,_ Chikara struggled to remind himself as he watched Ryuu, Asahi, and Daichi take cover back in the hallways where the mech couldn’t follow, the droids quick to pursue them.

What he wouldn’t give for this to be nothing more than a movie now.

He caught sight of Yamaguchi and Tsukishima on the balcony looking over, Yamaguchi’s sniper rifle propped onto the railing. _“We’re in place, Captain.”_

_“Aim at the window!”_ Daichi ordered as he smacked a droid with his gun. At his command, Ryuu ignored the droids cornering him - _I hope whatever you’re planning works, Daichi-san, Ryuu’s shields can’t take much more of this,_ \- to lean out of cover and shoot at the captain’s target.

Their cover in the hall was helping, for the most part; the droids were funneling themselves in at an almost manageable rate for Asahi as the others shot at the mech suit. Limited to shooting from his position behind the wall, Asahi’s shotgun dealt with them as they marched past the threshold and into his deadly range. With each droid that met its end to Asahi’s shotgun, Chikara felt like he was in a movie theater, dread and excitement alike pulling him closer to the screen.

Even if the mech suit couldn’t follow, it still gave them plenty of trouble; its heavy guns weren’t something to trifle with, Ryuu and Daichi only leaning out of cover to shoot back when the mech suit’s guns needed a moment to recharge. But for all their shots, including Yamaguchi’s and Tsukishima’s, they seemed to be doing no damage to it, and the droids were beginning to march in quicker than Asahi could take them out.

_“Here is the document you requested,”_ Suga stated as a screen’s display flashed a list of name.

“Ryuu, what are the names of your missing teammates?”

_“This ain’t really the time for that!”_ Ryuu shouted back.

“But it is, Ryuu!”

Ryuu’s shots halted for just a beat as the words clicked into place. _“Akimiya Noboyu, Towada Yoshiki, Yokote Kaito,”_ he recited without hesitation, no lapse in memory of the names he hadn’t heard in four years.

Chikara scanned the list, his eyes landing on- “They’re here, Ryuu! All of them! They’re still alive!”

With another of Yamaguchi’s heavy shots, the cockpit window on the mech began to crack.

_“You’re sayin’ these assholes we’re fighting are the bastards who-”_

“Yes!”

With a furious growl, Ryuu punched a droid out of his way, getting out of cover to shoot at the cracked window as he marched towards the mech.

“Be careful, Ryuu!” Chikara hissed. _Maybe I shouldn’t have-_

_“He knows what he’s doing,”_ Suga reassured him.

At one more of Yamaguchi’s heavy shots, the window shattered, exposing the pilot within. With another growl, Ryuu charged forward, grabbing hold of the bars on the front of the mech suit. His heavy armor looked weightless as he climbed the front of the mech suit without struggle. “Yes!! Go, Ryuu!!” Chikara didn't even realize he was cheering as he watched Ryuu punch through the glass, the badass hero of the movie moving purely on his emotions. With a grunt, Ryuu punched through the broken glass one last time to knock the pilot right in the helmet. If they weren't unconscious before, they certainly were now, putting up no fight as Ryuu yanked them out and let them fall to the ground with a thud.

With just a few more strikes at the glass in his way, Ryuu climbed through the opening to take control of the mech suit and take aim at the droids surrounding them.

_“I’ve also discovered information that Asahi and Daichi would like to hear,”_ Suga continued before he reported over the comm to the entire team. _“The facility’s records state this group bought slaves from Yamaoka’s company in large quantities. This would make them the remaining anonymous buyer Dateko has yet to track down.”_

Daichi and Asahi didn’t quite go into the same rage Ryuu had, but Chikara still caught the shift in their demeanor. Without a word to each other, the two closed in on the remaining droids. Guns were abandoned in favor of shoving them back past the threshold into the main clearing. The final droid Asahi lifted over his shoulders flailed helplessly as he tossed it at the group with enough impact to knock them away. Chikara nearly missed his cue to shut the door from the console, too caught up in the excitement to remember he had his own part to play.

All that was left was nearly a dozen droids locked in with a pissed off Ryuu in a mech suit.

The droids shot at him in vain. The mech suit’s heavy guns tore through them with ease, but Ryuu hardly used them; he seemed to prefer swatting at them with the guns, or crushing them underfoot.

_“The man proclaiming to be the head researcher has surrendered. Dateko and Wakutani are en route and will be here within eight minutes,”_ Suga stated. _”I have a copy of their records available for you to trade,”_ he continued to Chikara’s ear alone.

“Thank you, Suga-san.”

The battle was won; watching Ryuu take his anger out on the droids was the satisfying extra scene thrown in between the credits. Only two or three were still standing, hardly a match for the soldier’s rage that had been stewing for the past four years. Chikara unlocked the door to the room with the captives for Tsukishima as he watched the droid parts flying about.

_“The captives are in stable condition,”_ Tsukishima reported after a few minutes.

“Would it be alright for Ryuu to see them?”

_“Only if he stays out of the way.”_

First, he'd need to get Ryuu out of the mech suit. The last of the droids had fallen minutes ago, but Ryuu on the screen refused to stop. He continued to crush them underfoot and shoot aimlessly at the walls and floors - _I should have expected this._ Perhaps it would have been better to let him vent his frustrations on the lifeless pieces of steel, but to watch him drag on like this...

Chikara unlocked the security room and followed the sensation pulling in his chest down the halls towards his Connected, finding himself on the balcony overlooking the mech suit and scattered mechanical parts. "Ryuu..." he sighed, unsure if the man still snarling as he trampled on what hardly resembled a droid anymore could hear him. "Come on, Ryuu. Let's go see your team before Wakutani gets here."

It was strangely relieving to hear the growling stop and watch the mech suit stomp in his direction. Ryuu tempting fate by grabbing the balcony railing to climb out of the mech suit and over the ledge in his heavy armor, on the other hand, was far less relieving.

The moment Ryuu was safely on the balcony, he wrapped his arms around Chikara tightly, almost too tightly. Chikara could sense his Connected's confusion, the mixed rage and fear, and the solace when Chikara was in his arms - for Chikara the feeling was vague, but for Ryuu, it must have been overwhelming.

"It's over," was all Chikara could think to say.

Ryuu leaned his weight against him. "Where- Where are they, where are the bastards who-"

"They surrendered, Ryuu. Dateko's coming to arrest them."

"No! They deserve worse! They deserve-"

"They deserve to spend the rest of their lives behind bars regretting what they've done." Chikara rubbed his back, a useless effort over the heavy armor. Ryuu wanted blood, and he could hardly blame him, but Ryuu wasn't the monster they were; it was hard to imagine Ryuu wouldn't regret turning his weapon on a surrendered man once his fury subsided, regardless of who it was at the other end of his gun. "We need them alive so Dateko can question them. Then they'll pay for what they've done. For the rest of their lives. Okay?"

Ryuu stepped back with a growl. "Chikara, they-"

"They're monsters, Ryuu," Chikara finished for him, firmly and calmly, placing his hands on either side of Ryuu's darkened helmet. "But you're not. I'm not going to let you fall anywhere near their level. Now you can waste your time trying to get by me, or you can follow me to see your teammates before Wakutani gets here. What will it be?"

For a quiet moment, Ryuu didn't move. "...You're startin' to sound like Daichi-san," he finally mumbled back.

"Good. He keeps you in line." Chikara reached for Ryuu's armored hand. "Let's go see your team."

Ryuu said nothing in return, following Chikara's lead down the halls to where Tsukishima was overlooking the pods with the captives inside.

“It’s them,” Ryuu’s voice cracked as they stood aside to watch the Wakutani doctors rush in.

Chikara couldn't see his face through the helmet, and for that he was grateful; Ryuu could use the privacy the shaded helmet offered. “It’s them. They’re safe now.” Chikara reached up to wrap his arms around the back of Ryuu’s neck. _“You’re_ safe now. It’s over.”

Ryuu’s sniffle was muffled through the helmet, but his grip around Chikara with his armor on was strong. Chikara let him squeeze tightly without complaint, resting his helmet on Ryuu’s shoulder as Ryuu watched the doctors.

_“We should clear out to give Wakutani and Dateko space to work,”_ Daichi called to them over the comm. _“I’ve told them to report the captives’ statuses the moment anything changes, but they’re saying so far everything looks promising.”_

“Thank you, Daichi-san,” Chikara replied for Ryuu.

_“Kageyama and Hinata have a trick they want to try out,”_ Daichi continued a bit smugly. _“They say we could get to our next stop in an hour. I think it’s worth letting them try it out.”_

“You ready to make a visit, Ryuu?” Chikara asked, trying to pull out of Ryuu’s tight embrace.

“Eh?” Ryuu sniffled, his grip unrelenting.

“It’s time to see someone you haven’t seen in awhile.”

Ryuu choked on a sob as his grip finally loosened. “Really?” his voice cracked again, heavy with disbelief.

“Really, Ryuu. Come on. Let’s go get ready.”

* * *

Ryuu pulled him into a kiss the moment they were in the ship’s loading bay and their helmets were off; he didn't get the chance to see Ryuu's face, but he could taste the salt on his lips. Ryuu was too rough, lips pressed too hard against his, but after this past week - from interrogations to the mission - Chikara was ready to melt into Ryuu's crushing embrace.

The only anchor that kept him from falling into a thoughtless haze as Ryuu tried to deepen the kiss was the heavy armor's collar making it difficult to get closer. Chikara reluctantly pulled away to meet Ryuu’s red-rimmed eyes, wiping at the dry tears on Ryuu’s cheek with his thumb. “Let’s get your armor off.” Ryuu leaned into his touch, closing his eyes as he nodded and placed his hand over Chikara’s.

With Ryuu’s guidance, Chikara worked on the clasps and straps that kept the heavy armor in place. From gauntlets to shoulderpads, chestpiece to greaves, Ryuu’s armor came undone by Chikara’s hands. It was a challenge enough with Ryuu refusing to stop kissing him, insisting on another kiss or several between each clasp; he wasn’t sure he was going to get a chance to get his own armor off when Ryuu pulled him against him again roughly for another desperate kiss.

Chikara welcomed Ryuu’s tongue against his lip with a sigh; it had been too long since he'd tasted Ryuu like this. And now, now that he'd finally done something for Ryuu, he didn't feel so guilty relaxing in his arms and feeling his full lips again. He didn't notice Ryuu’s hands searching his back for the clasps to his stealth suit, too absorbed by the tongue against his own to notice anything else. Unlike Ryuu’s heavy armor, the light stealth suit came off in one piece as Ryuu peeled it off.

Ryuu grabbed his hand when he broke away, and Chikara followed without question as Ryuu led him through the loading bay, up the stairs, and through the hall by their room towards the washroom.

“Shower with me?” Ryuu asked with an embarrassed croak, that blush creeping across his cheeks again. “W-we don’t gotta- Don’t gotta do nothin’ crazy, I just-” he rubbed the back of his neck, looking at Chikara sheepishly, “I don’t wanna let go of ya.”

Ryuu’s heart was beating rapidly, a reflection of Chikara’s own. “Okay,” he whispered back.

**[+]**

Ryuu pulled him into the washroom and paused before a shower stall, leaning in for another kiss. Chikara could never get enough of this, of Ryuu’s lips on his, of Ryuu’s tongue slowly exploring his mouth, of Ryuu’s hands sliding up his sides as he pulled his shirt off. They broke the kiss only to pull Chikara’s shirt over his head, and Chikara was quick to return the favor, dropping Ryuu’s tanktop on the floor beside his turtleneck. It was hard to keep his breathing steady when Ryuu’s hands found their way to his belt, unbuckling and unbuttoning and pulling his pants and briefs down as much as he could without breaking the kiss. He stepped out of his pants before he reached for Ryuu’s pants hem with shaky hands; every night for months he ached to undress him, but now he ached in a different way - to be close with nothing between them, to hold Ryuu in his arms, to let Ryuu hold him back as tightly as he needed.

Chikara didn’t get the chance to see Ryuu in full until he was under the running water, holding his hand out as an invitation as he did the night before when he asked to dance.

Chikara already knew he was in love. He knew from the moment their lips first met, and he felt a new fear that made the attack on the ship feel like an afterthought. He knew from the way his chest burned every morning to find his dreams were only dreams. He knew when Ryuu comforting him through the cell door - _Though it should have been the other way around._ \- was almost a greater relief than his ‘freedom’, to know Ryuu didn’t hate him and there was a chance to hold him again.

But any chance for doubt was washed away with the water running over bare, tanned shoulders as Ryuu offered his hand, wearing only his blush and bashful smile as his hand and heart alike reached out to Chikara.

Chikara took Ryuu’s hand and stepped into the shower stall, sighing contently as Ryuu pulled him close again. Ryuu’s bare skin was pure heat, fire from his chest all the way down, but Chikara still shivered at the contact; if Ryuu’s chest was fire, below his waist was electricity, sparks shooting up Chikara’s spine. It would be enough to stay like this, he decided; if they never did anything more than this, than feeling Ryuu’s skin against his own for no reason other than to just be close, he would be more than content enough with that.

He could finally see all of the man that he yearned for, but he started with his eyes as he reached up to brush his thumbs over Ryuu’s cheeks. He never understood the fascination with eyes that others had until that day he helped Ryuu with the contact lens; now that Ryuu’s eyes were peering into his own, he understood the appeal to the fullest - it wasn’t just his stunning eyes that Chikara dreamed about for months, but the eye contact itself, Ryuu watching him back with a vulnerable longing that compelled Chikara to kiss him again.

Ryuu got comfort from touching, but it didn’t compare to the comfort he got from kissing; from his rough kisses in the loading bay to the gentle one he was returning now, Chikara could feel him relax, from the deep exhale from his nose to the tension loosening in his shoulders under Chikara’s hands. It seemed like a lifetime ago he was sitting in some office in Nekoma Tech and listening about the calming effects of Connected kissing, arguing with Ryuu about never wanting that to happen. _Now I never want to stop._ Chikara wrapped his arms behind Ryuu’s neck, feeling the tension in his own shoulders relax as he leaned into the kiss. He sighed as Ryuu’s calloused palm explored his back, tracing his spine from his nape down.

Chikara was reluctant to break away, but he needed to, needed to take in the sight of Ryuu with the water washing over him. Ryuu’s body was a collection of scars; some were thin like the one where his left bicep met the fake arm, some thick and jagged like one that marked his hip, but each must have told a story. Chikara felt dull in comparison, still the blank canvas, his only stories the ones he stole from others to sell to a mysterious “Grand King”. _Will I get my own scars now that I'm back?_ he wondered as he reached out to trace a burn scar across Ryuu’s ribs. “How did you get this?”

Ryuu settled his hands on either side of Chikara’s waist. “Raiders. Made the mistake of lettin’ myself get cornered. Asahi-san saved my ass that time.”

Chikara brushed his hand down Ryuu’s side till it reached the scar on his hip. “And this one?”

“Back in training. Don’t remember how it happened. Just remember my ass getting knocked to the ground.”

“What about here?” Chikara asked, bringing his other hand up to the faint scar across Ryuu’s left breast.

“...’at,” Ryuu mumbled.

“Huh?”

“Cat. Didn’t like being picked up- Hey, it ain't that funny!”

“Sorry, I wasn’t expecting-” Chikara interrupted himself with another snicker. “Tough guy Tanaka Ryuunosuke, slain by the tiny paws of a kitten.”

Ryuu chuckled with him, his eyes trained on Chikara’s lips as his own fond smile grew. Ryuu wrapped his arms around his waist to pull him near again, resting his forehead against Chikara’s and gently brushing the tip of his nose against the former thief’s. “Hey, Chikara…” Ryuu began, and hearing his name on those tempting lips left Chikara breathless. “Was that your plan the whole time? To get back at the assholes that took my team?”

Chikara snaked his arms under Ryuu’s, feeling more scars under his fingertips as he laid his hands on Ryuu’s back. “That or finding out who attacked the ship.” A guilty part of him was happier it worked out this way; as ready as he was to dedicate himself to the team, as much as he wanted to find their attackers, he wanted to do something for Ryuu most of all. “That's why I couldn't tell you. If it didn't work out…”

Ryuu kissed him again, softer this time as his thumbs brushed over Chikara’s hipbones. “But it did work out. And I can see my sis again ‘cause of you,” he replied before another soft kiss. He let his lips linger over Chikara’s as he mumbled, “‘Still kinda mad you left.”

Chikara smiled against Ryuu’s lips. “Good. This doesn't erase what I did. I just… I wanted to do something for you. To show you that I…” he hesitated on the words, _‘I love you’_ catching in his throat, “that I'm serious about staying. This,” he trailed his hands from Ryuu’s back to his side, “is where I want to be. With you, on this ship.”

Ryuu’s hand found its way to Chikara’s nape, thumb caressing the side of his neck as Ryuu leaned in, his lips close to Chikara’s. “Say that again.”

“That I wanted to do something for you?”

“Not that. After that.”

“That... this is where I want to be?”

“Mhm,” Ryuu hummed, barely brushing his lips over Chikara’s, tempting him to kiss again. “That.”

“I want to be here. With you,” he whispered back against Ryuu’s lips.

“With this team?”

“Of course with this team.” He’d missed them while he was gone, too - each of them, from Nishinoya’s enthusiasm to Tsukishima’s blunt rationality.

“An’ being an infiltrator?” Ryuu continued against his lips, catching Chikara’s bottom lip in a far too gentle kiss. “Helping people and all that?’

Ryuu was his selfish desire, his guilty pleasure to indulge in now that he was back. But even if Ryuu wasn’t here... “Yes. Yes, I want to do all of that.”

The hand on his nape pulled him in for another kiss, and Ryuu’s tongue back against his own was enough to make him forget there was a world outside of their shower and the warm chest pressed against his own; even as the minutes of soft kisses and warm skin rolled by, he barely caught Suga’s muffled announcement from the hall about an estimated arrival time. He was reluctant to break away. _But Ryuu has someone more important to see._ “You know, we should actually wash up.”

Ryuu groaned as he stole another quick peck. “Can I wash ya?”

Chikara sucked in a sharp breath, his heart skipping a beat at the request. “Only if I can do the same.”

Ryuu scratching the back of his neck bashfully was a sight he could never get enough of - especially with the lack of clothing and the blush creeping down his neck to his chest. “Uh… Where first?”

“Hair, please,” Chikara replied with a faint laugh as he reached for the shampoo. “Do you know how to wash hair?”

“I ain’t bald, ya know. I still wash my hair.” Ryuu snatched the bottle with a _hmph._ “Jerk.”

“Oh? Then maybe I should wash yours, too,” he smirked, running his hands over the shaved hairs to coerce a smile from Ryuu.

Ryuu tried to hold onto his pout, but the twitching corners of his lips betrayed him. “Turn around so I can wash your damn hair already.”

Chikara felt like he could melt from the fingers massaging his scalp, closing his eyes and leaning his back against Ryuu’s chest. If there was truly a heaven, it must be something like this - the heat from Ryuu’s skin, the hands in his hair, the lips nearing his nape-

Ryuu groaned, quickly turning his head to spit before opening his mouth under the water’s stream.

“Did you- Did you just get shampoo in your mouth?”

“Tahstes ahwful,” Ryuu mumbled before he spit out the mouthful of water.

“You brought that on yourself,” Chikara laughed, absentmindedly stealing a kiss before realizing his mistake the hard way. “Ugh, that does tastes terrible.”

“Brought that on yourself,” Ryuu grinned. “So, uh… Soap next?” he asked, his smug grin faltering under his blush.

“Y-yeah,” Chikara exhaled, turning back around at Ryuu’s nudging insistence.

The thought occurred to him that Ryuu should have used something besides his bare hands for the soap, but he didn't dare complain as Ryuu began to rub his shoulders with a gentleness he would have never expected from Ryuu when he first met him. If Chikara could go back in time to after they first met in the fire, how would his past self react to hearing Ryuu was a big softie? What would past Chikara say after their hostile trip to Nekoma if he heard one day he’d be in the shower with him, struggling to keep his breathing steady as Ryuu’s gentle hand explored his body? Would ‘Minato’ fading away in the diner believe him if he said there was a chance to hold Ryuu again, to trace his spine and map the shape of his hips down with his palms as they took turns washing each other? He could hardly believe it himself as their pruning hands wandered, Ryuu’s soft kisses leading from one to another as they refused to leave the warmth of their embrace under the running water.

**[-]**

Better than the kisses, better than the wandering hands, better than holding him in his arms was Ryuu’s bright smile - complete with an excited flash of sharp teeth - when the ship came to the halt. More kisses would have to wait; showers like this could happen any time, now. His reunion, on the other hand, had waited long enough.

* * *

Everything from the past two days - breaking away from Ryuu’s kisses to work on the plan, reporting to Yahaba, the uncertainty they’d find anything, watching the mech suit aiming at his team - all of it felt insignificant the moment Ryuu spotted the familiar bob of blonde hair through the diner’s window and started running.

Saeko caught Chikara’s eye as she turned toward the window, and the spark in her eyes at the realization before she dashed towards the door made every bit of hell turning himself in had been worthwhile.

He wasn’t sure who was grabbing who tighter as the Tanaka siblings finally reunited on the diner’s steps.

“You’re not going to join them?” Suga asked as he brushed his hand against Chikara’s, pressing something into his palm discreetly.

Chikara pocketed it without sparing a glance. “No. This is their moment.”

“He’d want you to be there, too,” Nishinoya chimed in from his other side.

“But- W-what are you two doing?!”

He might have been able to resist Suga pushing him from behind, but Nishinoya lending a hand destroyed any chance of him backing away. One of the siblings - it was hard to tell which - snatched his forearm and pulled him into their suffocating hug. He also couldn’t tell which one sniffled out a “You’re family, too,” but he could guarantee now that he was trapped in their mess of arms that Saeko was the one holding them tighter.

He rested his head on Ryuu’s other shoulder as he rubbed their backs, unsure of what else to do as the two sobbed and struggled to get any words out. He didn’t feel like the awkward addition he thought he would; the hand in his hair and the hand around his waist welcomed him as one of their own.

Tears aside, it was… nice. Chikara never cared much about family before, but he could get used to this. To having Ko as a sort of sister to visit. To having Ryuu drag him into every important moment of his life.

“‘Bout time you showed up,” Saeko remarked almost casually as the tears began to subside, as if her cheeks weren’t streaked wet and her voice strained.

“Was busy,” Ryuu mumbled back.

Saeko wiped her thumb under her brother’s red-rimmed eye to catch a stray tear. “C’mon, let’s get you two inside. We’ll get some food, and you can tell me everything.”

Ryuu nodded back with an exaggerated sniffle, drooping his head to hide his face against her shoulder instead of moving.

_He’s such a crier,_ Chikara smiled to himself as he kneaded Ryuu’s shoulder. _I wonder if-_

The familiar gait he caught from the corner of his eye pulled his attention away. _Damn his timing._ “I’ll join you two in a minute, okay?” Chikara reassured them distractedly before he followed the figure heading towards the alleyway around the diner’s corner.

In his expensive sunglasses and turquoise jacket, Yahaba looked out of place in the narrow alleyway lined with trash cans and lit only by a distant streetlamp. “I hope you have what I told you to get.”

Chikara fished the small drive Suga gave him from his pocket. “No smug remarks tonight?”

Yahaba plucked it from his fingers, turning it over in his hand and idly inspecting the black, plastic covering. “Not this time.” Yahaba pocketed the drive without question, folding his arms across his chest as he leaned against the brick wall. “What did you learn about the AI?”

“He doesn’t have any extra features besides sensors. And he’s the only one with a mobile platform, as far as he knows.”

“It doesn’t do anything special? Then what good is it?”

“It’s a backup, in case something happens to his primary core.”

“So it's just some fancy external harddrive? Waste of resources,” Yahaba grumbled quietly.

Then… nothing.

No more questions. No more passive threats to remind Chikara he was in charge. No more remarks about Suga, or anything else for that matter.

Chikara had seen the rare quiet Yahaba only twice before, stiff nights that had lacked passion and witty banter. But he had never pried before; Yahaba’s secrets were his to keep. This silence, though, was more unsettling, one he couldn’t leave as is. “What is it?”

Yahaba didn’t answer right away. He took his time in looking one way down the alley, then the other. He propped his foot up against the wall behind him, letting the silence linger with Chikara’s curiosity. “You know we’re not the bad guys, right?” he finally began. “We don’t play sides. I hope your little team of do-gooders remembers that.”

Vague as it was, Chikara was surprised Yahaba was opening up at all. If that could be considered ‘opening up.’ “What is this about, Yahaba?”

“We know almost nothing about the group that attacked you and Johzenji.” Rarer than a quiet Yahaba was a direct Yahaba; maybe Chikara was still asleep after all. “But something’s coming. Mercenary bands are going missing. Black market weapons are getting stolen. Someone is eating up the underground and covering their tracks.”

Chikara leaned on the wall opposite of him, the brick scratching against his fingertips. “Do you think it’s some sort of vigilante justice?”

“Doubt it. Whoever it is wants power. They’re doing things like stealing supplies instead of destroying them.” Yahaba pulled off his sunglasses to raise them against the poor light, revealing the wide, almost childlike eyes that didn’t suit him. “If they’re after Seijou, the star system will have a problem,” he continued, rubbing a lens with his sleeve. “I don’t need to tell you what could happen if our information fell into the wrong hands.”

_Hell could happen._ Seijou had military secrets, government secrets across multiple planets and colonies - some Chikara had sold them himself. The truth about President Yamaoka’s slavery ring alone could be catastrophic to Cassardis, even years after his assassination, and that was just one of hundreds of colonies across the star system. How many more could fall at a secret’s reveal? How many countries, how many _planets_ could be set ablaze if the wrong person knew all the right secrets? “You think they’re after you?”

“Why wouldn’t they be? If they want power, we’re the kings to dethrone.” Yahaba put his glasses back on and pushed himself off the wall. “Remember. We’re not the bad guys,” he repeated over his shoulder, reminiscent of a cocky side-character trying too hard to look cool as he walked away.

Chikara returned to the diner distracted by his thoughts. It was strange to be back in the diner where he spent too much time hiding away; stranger still was how it was filled with his team, a clash of realities as fighters and pilots and engineers took up the booths and bar seats. Suga sat between his husbands at the bar, pestering them with questions about cooking. Shimizu and Yachi occupied a booth across Tsukishima and Yamaguchi, a quiet conversation flowing between the four. Hinata was far less discreet, trying to rope Kageyama into a conversation about flying with Kinoshita and Narita, though Kageyama was trying his best to sink into the seat. _Does he wilt whenever he leaves the engineering deck?_ He'd just barely caught a glimpse of the Tanakas sitting at Saeko’s usual booth in the corner with Nishinoya before his instincts told him to run.

Unfortunately, the source of his fear - stubbled, smelling of cigarettes, and decked in a faded red apron - blocked the doorway. “You brought a rush of people during _dead hours?”_ his old boss grunted, pointing at the single unfamiliar waiter with his thumb. Chikara winced a bit; the poor guy was clearly inexperienced and struggling to keep his cool, fidgeting in his spot as his gaze shot from table to table.

“I-I’ll-”

“Go help in the kitchen.”

“Y-yes, sir.”

How Daichi got everyone to keep their orders simple was a mystery; different variations of cooked eggs and other greasy - _Is there any other type of food in a diner?_ \- breakfast assortments, some sandwiches, Saeko’s usual _“Whatever you feel like cooking,”_ and some pancakes.

A far less simple task than the orders was trying to explain it all to Suga, who had shamelessly followed him into the kitchen. “Shouldn’t you use a tool for measuring volume? According to my databases, you need to use approximately-”

“It doesn’t need to be exact,” Chikara interrupted as he struggled to close the steel fridge door. He’d had enough practice over time that he could make anything on the limited menu without much focus. The same couldn’t be said for dealing with this frustrating, broken down, stupid, archaic-

Suga pushed against the door and it latched shut instantly - Chikara wasn’t sure if he was relieved, or bitter that it closed for Suga and not him. “I saw you go to the alleyway. What was that about?”

_Just this much milk..._ “I saw an old friend.”

“Does that ‘old friend’ have anything to do with your information source?” Suga murmured as he grabbed the carton of milk from Chikara. He tried to eye his own amount into his matching bowl, spilling a little too much, but he either didn’t notice or didn’t care. “There’s no cameras in here.”

Chikara peeked out of the small opening that looked onto the rest of the diner to see if anyone was in earshot. “It was.”

“How did it go?”

A defeated sigh escaped Chikara as he glanced from the fridge to the milk carton. _I’m sure someone will want this,_ he decided as he poured the rest into a glass instead of fighting with the door again. “I gave him what he wanted, and he left.” _Typical, even if his attitude wasn’t._

Suga reached for a matching whisk, copying Chikara’s motions as he stirred his batter. “That’s it? Did he say anything?”

“He’s worried about whoever attacked us. Thinks they’re next. And insisted Seijou’s a neutral party.”

“Hm.”

Chikara poured a dollop of batter onto the griddle, waiting for Suga to follow up that ‘Hm’. Except a minute passed, and Suga remained silent. “Is there something on your mind, Suga-san?”

Suga’s gaze was focused on his side of the griddle, his pancake remaining flat over the heat. _Too much milk._ “The spy’s cameras shut down some time between last night and during the mission.”

“Eh?!”

“Do you think Seijou’s trying to work with us?” Suga continued as he flipped his flat cake too early. “If he said that after the cameras turned off…”

“I- I don’t know.” Chikara chewed on his lip as he tried to put the pieces together. _What would Seijou gain from doing that?_ “I don’t think so. I don’t think they’re _against_ us necessarily, but I doubt they’d give up a source of information for an alliance. Not without discussing it formally first.” _Then why are the cameras off?_ “Maybe it’s temporary?” he guessed.

“Your contact didn’t know about my body, right?” Suga whispered. “Do you think…”

“...The spy is changing sides?” Chikara took a moment to observe how Suga’s hair bounced when he nodded. _He doesn’t seem like a robot at all._ “It’s possible. Let’s be wary until we know more, just in case.”

Suga nodded in agreement, that one strand of hair in the middle of his head bouncing before it stood at attention. The two fell silent as the waiter passed by the window to grab the plate Chikara set out for him, and staying quiet a few moments longer after the stranger walked away. “What can we do?” Chikara wondered out loud.

“Follow Commander Ukai’s orders. Bide our time and let them take care of the rest. We’ll report this to him when we get back to Soren.”

Chikara sighed again at the mention of Soren. “I’ll need to answer more questions for Dateko after this, won’t I?”

Suga offered an apologetic smile. “You and Daichi both. He says the reports after a mission are the real challenge.”

Much like Suga’s pancakes, the conversation fell apart. Each was too absorbed in their thoughts, the only break in their silence when Suga asked Chikara to taste test. (Chikara refused. _Sorry, Daichi-san and Asahi-san. This is not a sacrifice I’ll make for you.)_ The last of the orders were made and the two left the kitchen, the contemplative silence lingering between them as they parted ways to their sides of the diner.

The siblings seemed in better composure, their matching swollen eyes the only evidence left that either of them were sobbing messes. It was a relief to see them laughing together; not only was it a pleasant sight, but Chikara wasn’t sure how to deal with anyone else’s emotional overload at this point. He’d had enough of his own the past week.

He slid into the booth beside Ryuu across from Nishinoya as the three laughed together about something he missed.

“Sis told me this was your usual drink,” Ryuu commented, nodding at the glass of lemonade as he draped his arm over Chikara’s shoulders. “Didn’t make anything for yourself?”

“I snacked on some things in the kitchen,” Chikara yawned, reaching for the glass and letting it sit on the table between his hands.

Across the display of messy plates, half-full glasses, and a few napkins covered in scribbles, Noya mirrored Ryuu - though it was nothing short of cringe-worthy how he pretended to stretch his arms to wrap one over Saeko’s shoulder. Noya thankfully seemed oblivious that Saeko was, well, oblivious, paying more attention to a napkin sketch. “I was just telling the story of how Ryuu and I met.”

Chikara regret the question the moment it left his lips. “How?”

“I was the lucky doctor that got to amputate his arm.” Noya’s proud grin stretched from ear to ear, far too pleased with the accomplishment of cutting off his best friend’s limb.

“You were discussing this over food?”

“Yep!” Noya’s other arm darted out to snatch a piece of pancake with his fork from Ryuu’s plate, tipping Saeko forward with the motion. Her pen tip slipped past the napkin, a black streak marring both paper and table.

“Oi, that’s mine!”

“Thish ish goowd-”

Chikara tuned out Ryuu and Noya’s bickering, watching Saeko as she licked her thumb to scrub at the mark her pen left. _I wonder if she did that to Ryuu’s cheek when he was a kid._ He traced circles into the condensation of his glass with his thumb as his mind drifted off. _I bet he hated it,_ he smiled to himself, lifting a hand to cover another yawn.

His eyelids grew heavy as he leaned against the warm shoulder beside him. Ryuu and Noya’s argument shifted to some unrelated topic he didn’t bother to listen to, but he noticed Saeko snickering and taking Noya’s side just to spur her brother on before he closed his eyes. _Wonder what silly things they fought over as kids,_ he thought drowsily, drifting off to imagined arguments over toys and unfair playground rules.

The lips by his ear gently roused him. “Chikara?”

“Hm?”

Ryuu leaned in closer, a hint of amusement in his voice as he enunciated each syllable. “Chi-ka-ra.”

Chikara struggled to open his eyes. “Hm? What?”

Ryuu brought his hand up to Chikara’s chest before he let his lips brush against Chikara’s lobe. “Chikara~” he repeated once more, practically a purr in Chikara’s ear.

Chikara was definitely awake now, though his mind took an extra moment to register how close Ryuu was when he turned to face him and their noses almost touched. “What, Ryuu?”

Ryuu took advantage, brushing his nose against Chikara’s. “Just like the way your heart goes crazy when I say your name.”

“Is that so, _Ryuunosuke?”_ he hummed back with his own nose rub, and judging by Ryuu’s sharp inhale, Chikara didn’t need to feel his heartbeat to know he was having his own effect on him.

From the corner of his eye he caught the grin Saeko flashed him that reminded him yet again just how much of an idiot he was for not noticing the resemblance before. “Look at you two being all lovey-dovey. You didn’t tell me you were just as bad as Ryuu, Minat- Er, Chikara.”

Ryuu raised an eyebrow at her, the mischievous smirk Chikara was usually fond of promising trouble. “So what _did_ he tell ya?”

The trouble in Saeko’s smirk rivaled Ryuu’s. _Oh, no._ “That you two kissed, and he got scared cause he l-”

“Let’s wrap this up,” Daichi called out loud enough for all to hear, and Chikara was sure the captain saved a few years of his lifespan. He didn’t need Saeko to confess his feelings for him, especially not with Nishinoya spectating.

Chikara helped the trembling server gather the dishes and wash the tables as Daichi paid the bill, and the rest shuffled out of the diner in pairs. With the exception of Hinata trying to drag a sleepy Kageyama by the arm, they left the diner in peace, the old place falling lifeless as he and Daichi stepped outside and the boss turned off the lights behind them.

“So… I guess I'll be seeing you around?” Noya asked Saeko with an expectancy that cracked his voice at the last syllable, but he kept his arm over her shoulders in a final, awkward attempt to be suave.

"Of course!" she replied with her usual bright smile, and Noya grinned back until she continued, "I feel like I got another little brother today!" Her playful punch didn’t look so tough against his other shoulder, but it was a far more devastating blow than she could know. _Ouch._ Chikara winced for Noya as she pulled him into a hug, each pat on his back another crushing blow to the light in his eyes.

Noya stood in place numbly when she let go to drag Chikara by the arm for his turn. “You too! Take care of my baby brother!” she exclaimed a bit too loudly in his ear as she thwacked him on the back.

“I will. I promise,” Chikara replied, rubbing her back gently in comparison to her aggressive enthusiasm. “Where is he?”

“He got embarrassed that I kept hugging him and ran off.”

_I guess siblings will be siblings._ “I should be going, too,” he said as he pulled away, squeezing her hands before letting go completely. “I’ll make sure he calls you if we can’t visit again soon.”

“I’ve been shot through the heart, Chikara,” Noya croaked once Saeko was out of earshot. “I’ll never love again.”

“Didn’t you just meet her?”

“But it was love at first sight! I saw my future in her eyes-”

“I get the feeling you’ll be fine.”

The view of Ryuu offering his hand as he waited on the ramp sent Chikara’s heart racing for the third time in the past 24 hours. Ryuu’s calloused hand was gentle in his as they laced their fingers together and walked through the airlock.

* * *

As tired as he was by the end of the long day, falling asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow, Chikara was grateful they visited Saeko when they did; the next day was tiring of a boring variety, filled with meetings with Dateko and Shiratorizawa, both alone and with Daichi and Ryuu. Question after question, the meetings about Yahaba took far longer than the actual conversations he had with the Seijou agent.

But for all he told them, they had information in return. Anyone involved with the research group responsible for Ryuu’s ambush that wasn't present was arrested by the end of the day. They were confirmed as the last of the buyers from Yamaoka’s slavery ring. The captives were all expected to make a full recovery, and their families had all been located and informed they were alive and safe. They’d likely be allowed visitors in as early as a few weeks.

Ryuu was free. He’d always have the memories - the nightmares and the fear of hospitals may never fade. But the people that hurt him would get the justice they deserved. He could see his sister again any time his heart desired. His shackles were gone.

Which left his hands free to play with Chikara’s not-so-metaphorical shackles. “Must you really?” Chikara sighed as Ryuu fiddled with the remote, clicking the button that joined the shackles on... off... on... off... on…

So much for a relaxing night unwinding in Ryuu’s arms, and all attempts to read over the datapad he requested from Daichi for that matter. Even if he held his wrists together, the jiggling from the magnetic push and pull made reading the mission report in hand an unnecessary challenge.

“For old time’s sake,” Ryuu hummed as he clicked the remote yet again.

As nice as it was to sit on their bed, feeling the heat from Ryuu’s chest as he leaned his back against it, Chikara could think of a few better things Ryuu’s hands could do. Like keeping still, for one. _I'll visit Kinoshita and Narita next time I want peace._ “It’s the sound, isn’t it?”

Ryuu clicked the button again, and the cuffs linked together with a subtle _clink._ “Maybe.”

Chikara wouldn’t admit the sound was a bit satisfying. And he certainly wouldn’t point out that the hushed _fwoosh_ they made when the suspension fields dropped to pin him to the ground was even more so. “You know. You could benefit from reading these, too.”

“Didja know I can draw like my sis?”

“You’re changing the subject.”

“I even taught her a few tricks. Look, I’ll show- Hold up. Need a pen.” Ryuu scurried to his feet, leaving a chill on Chikara’s back. “Stay there.”

Chikara glanced from the shackles still snapped together to Ryuu heading out the door with a raised eyebrow.

Ryuu popped his head back in to grin at Chikara, - _That's a terrible sign._ \- and the ticking of the remote’s dial was followed by the _fwoosh_ that yanked his wrists down to the bed. Ryuu even had the nerve to chuckle before he disappeared past the doorway again. _Bastard._

Chikara let out what seemed like the hundredth sigh for the evening as he looked down at the white cuffs. They used to be terrifying - tying him down, metaphorically and sometimes, like now, unfortunately literally. A reminder he was a prisoner no matter where he was, wrapped around his wrists to never be forgotten.

They seemed far less symbolic, now. Just another part of his life once again. If they represented anything, he realized, it was the choice he made to have them back on. A new reminder that he chose this life.

With a few ticks and a _clink_ mismatching the beat of Ryuu's footsteps, Chikara's wrists were free - as free as they could get, anyways.  

“Ever think about getting tattoos?”

“Huh?” Chikara rubbed at his wrist distractedly as he watched Ryuu uncap a pen with his teeth. “No. No marks, remember?”

“Oh, right.”

“Where did you get that pen?”

“Stole it from Yacchan’s office.”

“You monster.”

Ryuu grinned around the plastic cap still between his teeth before he popped it on the bottom of the pen. “Take off your shirt.”

“Huh?!”

“Gonna show you my amazing art skills.”

“How does that- You can’t just use paper?”

“That’s no fun.” Ryuu plopped down beside him, wiggling to get comfortable that ultimately resulted in his legs wrapped around Chikara’s waist from the side. “C’mon,” he urged, tugging at Chikara’s shirt.

Considering how often Ryuu’s shirts would conveniently disappear - not that Chikara was going to complain - it felt strange to be the shirtless one as he pulled the turtleneck over his head. The hand resting on his bicep was smooth as leather. “Hm.” Ryuu tapped the pen tip against Chikara’s skin contemplatively. “A dragon. To match mine.”

“You can draw a dragon?” Chikara asked with a bit of surprise. Sure, Ryuu said he could draw, but the details of the dragon on his shoulder - at least, the decapitated head of it - was impressively detailed, every scale crafted with care.

“I told ya, I taught Sis a few tricks.” The pen tip on his skin was lighter than he expected, even as Ryuu pressed down harder when the ink refused to run. With a distracted grunt, Ryuu scribbled the tip just above Chikara’s collarbone until the circles he drew began to show. “There we go. First,” he brought the pen back to Chikara’s bicep, “ya start with an ‘s' - Hey, no peeking.”

“You're going to talk me through the steps without letting me watch?”

“It'll be a surprise,” Ryuu _hmph’d_ back, using his left hand as a visor to block Chikara’s view. “So after that, we draw another ‘s’, and then ya...” he trailed off as he started to get into his task, muttering something about ‘awesome fangs’. With the dragon out of his sight, Chikara watched Ryuu’s face as he focused instead, the tip of his tongue poking out as he concentrated. _Cute._

Judging by the speed the pen flowed, either Ryuu was truly well practiced, or- “Tada!”

“It's…” The sight on his arm when Ryuu removed his hand was, well... “a masterpiece,” Chikara finished with an amused snort, delighting in both the ridiculous cartoon dragon and the mirth in Ryuu’s eyes.

“See? Sis learned from the best,” Ryuu replied with his own amused lilt. “It's missing... something.”

“Hm. You're right,” Chikara played along. “Maybe… an arm?”

“Just one?”

“Just one.”

A blush bloomed with Ryuu’s smile. “One arm, comin’ right up.”

Despite the sloppy lines, it was clear Ryuu had a grasp on… whatever it was artists had a grasp on as he quickly added an absurd human arm sticking out of the dragon's side. A beginner’s grasp, but one nonetheless. “Voila! A single arm.”

Ryuu’s bright grin was infectious as always, pulling a tender smile from Chikara. “It's perfect.”

Ryuu responded with a flurry of kisses peppering Chikara’s jaw and cheek till he reached his lips, giving him a taste of that deep chuckle that drove him crazy as Ryuu straddle his thighs. Ryuu nipped at Chikara’s bottom lip before he pulled away. Chikara would have preferred more kissing until his lips were sore, but the impish delight in Ryuu’s grin as he brought the pen to Chikara's chest was almost as good.

Chikara leaned back on his arms to give Ryuu space to draw, shivering at the pen tip gliding across his chest. It wasn’t long before his torso resembled a bored teenager’s notebook. _‘Ryuunosuke’s’_ in an unexpectedly bubbly font adorned his left breast, surrounded by a dozen tiny, messy stars, a few smudged by Ryuu’s hand. The heart on his right breast was a tacky sort of charming, complete with an arrow struck through. Ryuu was surprisingly better at flowers, the round petals of simple buttercups decorating his ribs.

It was a sweet sort of torture. There was an intensity to Ryuu’s eyes as he concentrated, and the sight of it with Ryuu’s pink tongue teasing between his soft lips was a work of art of its own. Oblivious to his own actions, Ryuu’s hands touched Chikara all over his torso, from a firm grip on his waist, to his palm brushing his breast, to his fingers fluttering down his ribs. And for every amused snort, Ryuu met it with that deep chuckle that was slowly driving Chikara mad.

He’d waited long enough.

Ryuu tapped over the feathered arrow piercing the heart. “What’s got this goin’ all pitter-patter?”

**[+++]**

_"You”_ would have been no less tacky than the heart drawing, so Chikara opted to tell him in another fashion. With his index finger, he tilted Ryuu’s chin up towards him, hoping the blush on his cheeks and the desire heavy in his eyes were enough to speak for him.

The pen fell from Ryuu’s hand and rolled off the edge, clacking against the floor beside the datapad as the cogs in Ryuu’s mind began to turn. The realization on his face was endearing, the confusion in his downturned lips giving way for the ' _o’_ they formed as it clicked into place. Ryuu pounced on him quicker than he could prepare for, pinning him to the bed and bringing their lips together hard.

Ryuu’s kiss was sloppy, too much tongue and too much desperation, a collection of gasps and faint groans as Chikara pulled him closer. After two years alone, and three months daydreaming about making Ryuu shiver, it was nearly irresistible to meet Ryuu’s desperation the same way he met his desperate kiss.

But his daydreams weren’t bursts of passion in the heat of the moment; they were long evenings making love to him, taking his time pleasing Ryuu at his own pace.

When he broke the kiss, Ryuu tried to chase his lips, stealing a peck before Chikara rolled him onto his back. “Relax, Ryuunosuke,” he hummed against his lips. “We’ve got time now, remember?”

With another whispered _Relax,_ Chikara gently nipped Ryuu’s bottom lip. Ryuu welcomed Chikara’s tongue back against his with a whimper, faintly panting as he struggled to obey Chikara’s whispered demand. Chikara’s thoughts wandered as his hands did, - _Did he touch himself thinking of me too, did he take his cock in hand, did he moan my name as he fingered himself,_ \- as he slid his hand under Ryuu’s shirt to feel the heat of his skin and the dips of his abs.

With some help from Ryuu arching his back, the tanktop was gone, and the view of Ryuu shirtless and panting beneath him - the rise and fall of his chest, his nipples begging to be kissed, the dark trail of hair below his navel calling to him - woke a primal urge in Chikara; some other night, he was going to need to take Ryuu, to get between his legs and screw him senseless until he screamed his name.

But not tonight.

He leaned on his elbows to bring their lips together again. Exploring his mouth slowly, the sensation of skin against skin, Ryuu’s fingers buried in his hair… like the shower, Chikara would be content with this if it was the furthest they ever went. But he reached for more, struggling with the button of Ryuu’s pants before unzipping.

The pleasant gasp and arch of Ryuu’s back when he touched him over his boxers was every bit as beautiful as Chikara had hoped. The true tease for Chikara would be to keep himself from continuing this, from stroking Ryuu and watching the way his body moved and listening to every gasp and moan beckoned by his hand alone. Resisting the temptation, instead he sat back on his heels to pull Ryuu’s pants and boxers off and toss them to the ground.

Ryuu was hopelessly beautiful; he was beautiful with clothes on, and he was beautiful in the shower with the water washing over him. But this breathtaking display of tan skin waiting for him on their bed, the expectant gaze behind heavy lids in alluring gray eyes, the toned thighs spread apart, and the growing erection waiting for Chikara’s next move was a beauty beyond compare. It was almost a shame he had to keep the view all to himself, but it was one he would greedily cling to all for his own.

“Y-yours, too.” A demand Chikara could happily comply with, reaching for his belt and enjoying the way Ryuu absently licked his lips as he watched Chikara slowly unbuckle. He took his time with his button, then his zipper, waiting until Ryuu was biting his lip in anticipation to pull his pants and briefs away (rather awkwardly, though Ryuu was in too much of a lust-filled haze to notice or care).

He brought his fingertips to Ryuu’s chest, brushing them down light as feathers and slow enough to drag another whimper from Ryuu’s parted lips. From chest to navel Ryuu watched, holding his breath as Chikara traced the trail of dark hair down, down, down. Chikara’s fingers barely brushing over his cock elicited another gasp, another arch of his back, and a wonderful twitch as if Ryuu’s cock was chasing for his touch as his fingers continued their path. “Chikara,” Ryuu whined, actually _whined,_ and Chikara was embarrassed to realize how painfully hard he was from the display alone. Calloused fingers grasped the sheets as Chikara’s fingertips brushed over his balls, and another whine as he trailed his fingers down even further. “S-stop teasing.”

“How do you want me, Ryuu?” he whispered, almost choking on the words. He hadn’t expected his voice to feel so thick already, his breathing growing heavier to match his naked lover’s.

“Every way,” Ryuu groaned back.

His chuckle resembled Ryuu’s, deep and low. “You will have me every way. But for tonight, pick one.”

“Like this.” Ryuu reached his arms around him, pulling him closer, and Chikara shivered as their cocks brushed together with Ryuu’s shaky thrust. Oh, he could definitely enjoy this; rubbing together, to feel Ryuu’s body against him from chest all the way down

With another thrust, Chikara found it difficult to keep himself up, falling to rest his weight on his elbow. “Are you clean, Ryuu?”

“We just shower-”

Chikara interrupted him with a gentle kiss. “Not like that.”

“Huh? Oh- Yeah. Checked before we joined the ship.” With his own gentle kiss and a small thrust to match and tease a gasp from Chikara, he asked, “You?”

“Mhm,” he hummed against Ryuu’s lips. It would be safe to go like this for now, but, “We use a condom for anything else, alright?” he whispered, returning the thrust with his own and rewarded with Ryuu’s gasp.

“‘Course,” Ryuu whispered back when he caught his breath, nipping at Chikara’s bottom lip.

It was nearly impossible to pull away to get the lube from Ryuu’s dresser, but the effort was worth it to see Ryuu in full view again; Ryuu was every bit the mess he’d dreamed of making him, blushing all the way to his panting chest, fingers tangled in the sheets, spread legs falling lax as he waited for Chikara to crawl between them again - and Chikara had only just begun.

He rubbed the lube between his hands until they no longer left a chill, unable to tear his eyes away from Ryuu - all of him, from his hooded eye to his perfect lips, from his sculpted chest to the precum dripping from the tip of his cock.

Ryuu welcomed his grasp with a deep moan; Chikara stroked down, and up again, lathering Ryuu’s cock and watching him fall apart with every inch. Chikara wasn’t much better when he finally brought their cocks back together; just the sight of them slicked and rubbing together was almost overwhelming, the sensation dragging out Chikara’s own moan. He stayed sitting on his heels as he stroked them together, Ryuu’s heartbeat pounding in Chikara’s chest with the motion.

Down, and up, down, and up, slow enough that it was almost as much torture for himself as it was for Ryuu. Ryuu’s whimpers were the most incredible sounds to ever grace his ears, stirred in with gasps and groans as Chikara rubbed them together; he needed to taste those whimpers on his lips. He leaned back down over him on his elbow, and Ryuu was quick to wrap his legs around his waist and thrust into his hand. Ryuu’s fingers were tight in his hair, completely unaware he was tugging the strands. Chikara leaned in for another kiss, feeling a perfect whimper against his tongue as he thrust.

Their heartbeats were in sync with their bodies pressed together, as slow and steady as Chikara’s thrusts. Chikara felt like he was swimming in it all; in their matching heartbeats, in Ryuu’s whines subsiding into calm moans, in the fingertips brushing his scalp, in their distracted kisses, in the breathtaking feel of Ryuu’s cock sliding against his, in the legs wrapped around him to barely anchor him to reality.

He hadn’t even noticed he’d let go of their cocks minutes ago, too absorbed in the body underneath his, of the heat in the skin rubbing against his own.

He was lost in it all, oblivious to the rest of the ship, oblivious to the rest of the galaxy outside their window, oblivious to any life beyond their bed.

His gasp escaped him beyond his notice, and another, his climax beginning to bubble up against his will. He wasn’t ready - he wanted to stay like this, to keep their slow pace and messily rub together until their bodies gave out from weariness.

“Chikara,” Ryuu moaned his name, “Chi-Chikara, I’m, ah-”

“...with me,” was all Chikara could manage back, falling apart, voice breathy, falling, falling, “Ryuunosuke, come with…”

Ryuu’s panting great heavier, their hearts beating faster, all Chikara could see and hear and think was _Ryuunosuke,_ Ryuunosuke trembling beneath him, Ryuunosuke’s heartbeat in his chest, Ryuunosuke grasping his back desperately, Ryuunosuke moaning his name loud enough to echo through the hall as they came together with a final thrust.

He let his weight fall against Ryuu, both of them panting as Ryuu rubbed his back. Ryuu tried to speak, but all he could manage was a gruff, “Mm.”

“Yeah,” Chikara agreed, though it was more of a croak. The laughter shaking Ryuu’s chest that didn’t quite make it to his throat dragged a smile out of him, wide enough to hurt his cheeks. From what little he could see of Ryuu’s face from his spot on his shoulder, Ryuu was just as guilty, sharp teeth on display from ear to ear.

Ryuu grumbled in protest when Chikara sat up. “Where ya…”

“Clean.”

“Clean up after sleep.”

“You’re gross.”

“Nah, just lazy.”

“Gross _and_ lazy.”

Ryuu’s chuckle made it past his throat that time, and he really had to stop smiling at him like that, because Chikara couldn’t help but smile back and his cheeks _hurt._ Ryuu gave a tired ‘thanks’ as Chikara wiped their mess away, and was quick to pull Chikara back down onto the bed the moment the tissues were thrown away.

**[---]**

Ryuu was hopelessly beautiful; he was beautiful beneath him, blushing, panting his name, but that didn’t compare to this - to his sleepy smile beckoning him closer, to the steady rise and fall of his chest, to his arms gently wrapping around Chikara to hold him close and kiss his forehead. Chikara gave Ryuu’s stubbled jaw a quick peck, scratchy against his lips, an unfortunate reminder that he was going to have an awful beard burn on his chin in the morning. With the blanket pulled up to their waist, Ryuu rubbed his back gently, sleepily humming as they closed their eyes.

* * *

“Tanaka.”

The intercom on the wall slipped through the sliver of vision past Chikara’s droopy eyelids. He would have glared at it if he had the energy.

“Tanaka.”

Ryuu groaned, pulling his arms tighter around Chikara. “What, Suga-san?” he asked with a bit of a snap.

“You’re taking the helm in 8 hours. We’re heading to Everfall.”

“We goin’ on vacation?” The city-state of Everfall was a nothing more than a tourist attraction, a city-state of bright lights and wild attractions on a planet where nightfall lasted for days, where time was only a concept and the parties were never-ending.

“Iwaizumi Hajime wants to meet with us. He says he has a job we may be interested in.”


	14. professional

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Pretty ballsy to admit to us what you do,” Ryuu replied, amused. “You know we hunt down criminals, right?”
> 
> “I didn’t admit anything.” Iwaizumi smirked, the first smile since he walked into the ship. But it slipped off of his lips quickly. “It was my husband that found the cameras. I can’t take the chance he’s in danger. I’ll do whatever I can to keep him safe.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Warnings:** Like the previous chapter, when things start to get a bit hot and heavy but without nudity, it's marked with [+] and ends with [-]. the _really_ nsfw content starts at [+++] and ends with [---].
> 
> Word count: 19,966  
> [Postermodern Jukebox - Toxic](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZILsHowUjpQ) (Or anything from Postmodern Jukebox tbh, they're so good!)

Ryuu was sure as hell out of his element when he stepped through the gold plated doorway. But the rush of the casino’s crowd - from the gamblers putting it all on the line to the tipsy onlookers cheering them on - swept him up into the vibe, and made him forget he wasn’t just another yuppie with a needlessly luxurious lifestyle of champagne, dresses, and diamonds that Ryuu would mock and envy alike. With his suit and tie, he looked the part, too, feeling like a VIP walking in with the top dog, all eyes on them.

One look at the bar, though, was enough to remind him he was there for something far crazier than betting all his money away at a hand of cards. He had a hell of a mission ahead of him, and the man watching him like he was going to eat him alive was just the professional for the job.

* * *

It started four days ago with a visit and a confession from someone ballsier than even him.

“Tanaka, your shift is in 20.”

_Can’t someone else fly the ship,_ Ryuu’s tired mind argued back at the intercom. He had more important things to deal with - like those pretty brown eyes struggling to stay open, and that sleepy smile that _damn,_ it did things to him he couldn’t describe. He could think of a few other ways to spend the morning, plans that included that gorgeous leg peeking out from the blanket and slung over his own.

The ink across Chikara’s chest was smudged - hell, probably got some on Ryuu considering how last night went down - but the outlines of his drawings were still mostly there, _‘Ryuunosuke’s’_ surrounded by stars and some sort of semblance of a heart with an arrow striking through left. “Good morning,” Chikara smiled up at him, and shit, he was draining any of Ryuu’s remaining willpower to get out of bed.

“Mornin’.” Ryuu slid his hand up the outside of that perfect thigh. _I’m a lucky guy._ “You know, I got 20 minutes before I gotta take the helm…”

Chikara’s touch left his skin tingling, from the curve of his foot brushing over Ryuu’s calf to his hand trailing from his ribs to trace the dip between his pecs. “You’re crazy if you think 20 minutes is enough,” Chikara had the nerve to _purr_ as he brushed his fingertips over Ryuu’s collarbone. “Go take a shower.”

“You’re a tease, Chikara,” Ryuu groaned, squeezing a nice handful of thigh. “Gettin’ me all riled up.”

“A _cold_ shower, then,” Chikara yawned, covering his mouth but not the hint of smugness in his eyes. _“I_ am going to sleep more.”

“A tease through and through.” He tugged the blanket over Chikara’s legs; it was a shame to cover them, honestly, but Chikara could use some more shut eye. _He deserves some extra sleep. Just a little._ “Come visit me when you get your lazy ass up, alright?”

“Mm,” was all Chikara could manage back. His eyelids fluttered close - _He's got pretty lashes._  - as he gave Ryuu a last sleepy smile.

So Ryuu’s morning wasn't going to start quite like he wanted, but this was just as good. He procrastinated getting to his feet a few minutes longer; Chikara looked so peaceful as he slept. No worries furrowing his brow, no doubts shaping his frown - simply relaxed as he dreamed of whatever master thieves dreamed about.

_We've got all the time in the star system now,_ Ryuu reminded himself as he kissed Chikara’s forehead and reluctantly climbed out of their bed.

Besides, he had a good feeling about today.

Couldn't put his finger on why. Maybe he just liked the idea of meeting up with someone different, someone not military or detective related, he pondered in the shower. Not that he was going to like this new guy - some hotshot casino owner - just liked that he probably wasn’t going to ramble about protocol or something boring like that for the first hour. Maybe he just liked the idea that Chikara was going to be around no matter what the day had in store, he considered as he stole a bite of whatever Suga was trying to make. (And immediately spit out. Maybe he just liked the idea he had Chikara around to make him pancakes instead of… whatever _that_ was.)

He _definitely_ liked Chikara joining him in the cockpit an hour later. “Thought you'd sleep in longer,” Ryuu remarked to the sleepyhead shuffling in.

"It was cold without you." Chikara covered his mouth as he yawned - _How'd I end up with someone with manners?_ \- as he dragged his feet towards the pilot's chair. “You promised you’d show me how to fly.”

“Why do that when-” he grabbed Chikara’s forearm to yank him onto his lap - Chikara’s unsuspecting yelp was pretty great, but not as great as the v-neck t-shirt giving a feast for Ryuu’s eyes, “-we’ve got the cockpit all to ourselves?”

“Everyone can see us here, Ryuu,” is what his mouth said, but the rasp in his voice said _'Keep going',_ his heart already picking up speed as Ryuu’s lips neared the corner of his jaw.

Chikara’s breathing grew heavier as Ryuu let his breath linger over the pulse point, giving the tease a taste of his own medicine. “Nobody comes in-”

“Tanaka-san! Are-” Of course if it was possible to halt mid-leap Hinata would find a way, frozen on the balls of his feet with his arms stuck behind him like he was ready for lift-off.

The red of Chikara’s cheeks rivaled Hinata’s hair. “It’s fine, Hinata. Maybe _you_ can show me a little about flying,” he remarked, side-eyeing Ryuu.

Hinata relaxed - or at least, looked a little less like he was about to soar out the window. “Me? Show you about flying?” He scratched his head, a curl of orange bouncing around his finger. “I mean, I can try, but I tried to teach Yacchan and she didn’t really get it and Kageyama said I was a lousy teacher and-”

“I’m sure between Ryuu’s _attentiveness_ and your onomatopoeia, I’ll get a vague idea,” Chikara reassured him with a soft smile, shifting his weight to the hand on Ryuu’s shoulder in an attempt to stand.

Ryuu wrapped his arms around Chikara's waist to prevent his escape. “You gotta save the other chair for Hinata.”

“Standing is an option, you know.”

“It’s okay!” Hinata took the copilot seat, tucking his feet beneath him. “Do you know much about flying, Ennoshita-san?”

Chikara glanced between Hinata and Ryuu’s expectant gazes before settling his weight back on Ryuu’s lap. “I only know about flying skycars,” he confessed, sounding almost apologetic.

“Oh! Then it’ll be easy for you, skycars have the same controls!” Hinata wiggled to free his legs and point under the console with his feet. “There’s a couple more pedals, though...” _Yeah, about 13 more, Hinata._

Ryuu admittedly wasn’t the best teacher, zoning out of Hinata’s explanations of controls to focus on the black cotton shirt - _Of course it’s black._  - beneath his fingertips, the fabric thin enough to feel the dip of Chikara’s spine. Thankfully neither of them noticed as Ryuu quietly gawked at the beautiful neck just out of his mouth’s reach, both of them absorbed in Hinata’s excited talk of buttons and switches complete with enthusiastic hand gestures. It wasn’t long before Suga’s doll popped up on the console to join the conversation, though it quickly shifted to something far more technical, the AI and the pilot tossing around big words Ryuu definitely didn’t go to school for.

Chikara leaned back against him to rest his head on his shoulder, and Ryuu cursed their sitting position - he couldn’t feel how soft the hair he brushed his fingers through was with his left hand, but Chikara relaxed into his touch, and well, that was good, too. “Hinata knows more than you’d expect,” Chikara hummed quietly.

“Yeah, well, he went to school for this,” Ryuu replied in his own hushed tone as he watched Suga’s doll explain something with a holographic chart he only kinda understood. “I show him some tricks I’ve learned over the years. Little things they wouldn’t bother to teach, ya know? He knows the specifics, the real fancy stuff, but there’s a difference between knowing and doing. There’s too much talk, not enough action in classes like that.”

“Hm. It’s a good thing he has you to show him.”

When Chikara tilted his head to press his forehead against Ryuu’s neck, Ryuu was sure he stopped breathing for a moment. A month ago, this seemed impossible - holding Chikara close, his teammates as background noise while they watched the stars out the cockpit window. A small thing to get excited about, but it was his small thing- _their_ small thing.

A little moment in their new everyday life together.

When Chikara reached for Ryuu’s hand resting on his thigh to lace their fingers together, he felt his joy bubbling up in his chest, shaping into words that floated up his throat.

Words that he took too damn long to say.

He pressed his lips to Chikara’s hair, a rare burst of nervousness catching the words on his tongue-

“I love you,” Chikara whispered like an afterthought, the quiet words floating with the ambient hum of the ship.

Chikara was still, but his heart was pounding worse than Ryuu’s. “It-it feels like home, like this.” The slender fingers entwined with Ryuu’s tremored as he continued quietly, “That- That must sound ridiculous. I-”

Ryuu didn't give him a chance to continue his stuttering confession, unlinking their fingers to cup his cheek and pull him into a kiss. He didn't mean to be so gentle, but Chikara had a habit of making him so damn soft, like the hair between his fingers. The "Love you, too," he mumbled against their kiss was also gentler than he was planning, a bit of a breathless whisper, but it got the perfect gasp out of Chikara- a gasp he would have loved to take advantage of, to deepen their kiss, maybe sneak his hands up his shirt to feel his back and then some, but... This sweet kiss was good. Hell, it was incredible, Chikara's chapped lips lightly fitting against his own-

“I see the exhibitionists are at it again.”

Chikara’s cheeks were a brilliant red when he jerked away. Ryuu didn't bother to turn to look at Daichi; he'd much rather look at the naturally pale lips that could stand to grow as red as his cheeks with a few more kisses. Or watch the cute way Chikara tugged his bangs to cover his face. Or look at that neck, damn that neck.

“We should make a rule against PDA.”

“Don't make rules you can't follow, Suga.”

“Daichi, I'm second-in-command. I'm allowed to break a few rules.”

“New rule: No abusing power.”

“Daichi!” A holographic knife stabbed Suga’s doll in the back, the jointed body collapsing to his knees and clutching his chest dramatically.

Whatever Daichi said to Hinata to convince him to leave went over Ryuu’s head; anything beyond the lips of his love was lost to him. _My love. Damn, that feels good._ He was vaguely aware of Hinata rising to his feet, of the two leaving the cockpit and Suga’s doll popping out of sight.

“As much as I like this,” Chikara tried his best to cover up that he was both flustered as hell and wanting more, his tone saying _‘I’m fine, not embarrassed at all’_ but the heaviness in his voice saying _‘Where were we’,_ “we should be more professional around others.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Ryuu agreed, but not without a disapproving grunt. He didn’t give a rat’s ass about ‘professional’, but maybe they could stand to be a bit more considerate. “But you know Daichi-san got Hinata to leave for a reason, right? We got about two hours before we reach Everfall.”

“You’re not seriously implying…” Chikara trailed off, still trying hard to act like he was so ‘professional’, but those heavy-lidded eyes staring at Ryuu’s lips spoke louder.

The way his heart picked up again when Ryuu flashed him a grin, staring at his lips back spoke volumes, too. “Suga-san, is there a door to the cockpit?”

“Don’t let your hormones fly us to a hotel instead, Tanaka,” Suga teased over the intercom.

But regardless of the teasing, a door slid shut behind them. And Chikara’s ‘professionalism’ must have gotten locked out, judging by how eagerly he brought their lips back together.

* * *

All of that eagerness lasted a whopping 15 minutes.

As much as Ryuu was hoping to kiss him until neither of them could feel their lips anymore, Chikara falling asleep against him was good, too. Maybe even a bit better than kissing. It was kind of a shame he had to land the ship, though watching Chikara’s disorientation as he came to - confusion as he glanced around before his eyes landed on Ryuu, followed by a sleepy quirk of his lips - made it worthwhile.

Said sleepyhead almost took a dive when he stumbled to his feet, but Daichi stepped into the cockpit just in time to catch him. Ryuu was only a _little_ jealous some other guy got to swoop in and play the hero, but it was _Daichi-_ the guy was everyone’s hero. And he had nice arms, perfect for falling into. Ryuu may have been more jealous of Chikara.

“Iwaizumi-san will be here any minute now. He wants to discuss his job offer on the ship.”

Chikara gave an appreciative nod, voice still heavy with sleep and low enough for any eavesdroppers to only catch the hushed tones. “Are you sure that’s wise?”

“He insisted. Profusely.” With a wave of Daichi’s hand, the two followed him toward the airlock. “I want you two there to hear his proposal.”

Chikara stiffened at the idea. “I could have used a warning. I’m not exactly dressed to meet with anyone.”

“I’m not here for your attire.” The man that walked through the airlock had an air of importance without the cockiness; the silver cufflinks on his gray suit probably cost more than Ryuu’s entire wardrobe, and his posture had some sorta quiet confidence, but he got straight to the point without the usual senseless introduction speech. If it wasn't for the cufflinks thing, Ryuu might have liked the guy. “Where could we speak in private?”

Daichi offered his hand, a quick but firm handshake between the two without breaking eye contact. “We'll use the office. Do you mind these two accompanying us? I think they could offer insight on your predicament.”

“I'll trust your judgement on this.”

Ryuu focused on the expensive cufflinks catching the hall's dim lights as they walked to remind himself this guy couldn't be as good as he seemed so far if he made so much money. _Sorry Chikara, I might be a little bit in love with this guy already._

It was eerie to walk into the office beside the comm room for something besides stealing pens; Ryuu avoided Yachi’s office for anything more like he avoided horror movies. Horror movies with jump scares, if she was in it. Cute as she was, he wasn't exactly excited to talk to her about psyche stuff. Though now that he was taking a good look around the office - calming pictures of sunny afternoon skies along the baby blue walls, tidy desk lined with stuffed toys that could fit in the palm of his hand - the idea seemed a _tiny_ bit less intimidating. That one stuffed toy that looked like an angry hamster was pretty cute, too.

Daichi gestured to one of the three chairs before sitting in one, and Iwaizumi took the offer to sit across from him. Chikara glanced between the remaining chair and Ryuu before Ryuu decided for him. “Go ahead. I'll stand,” he declared with a bit of a snarl and a level three glare - enough to get the point across without pissing off Daichi. Even if he maybe liked this guy a little, he still needed to keep up appearances, folding his arms across his chest in front of the door.

Ryuu was both a little pissed off and a little impressed when Iwaizumi completely ignored him. “I'll get straight to the point. My suite on the top floor of my casino-hotel is bugged, and I heard you have someone with the expertise to get in unnoticed. I want the bugs gone without tipping off whoever planted them that I was the one to find them.”

Daichi glanced at Chikara, some degree of ‘ _Huh?’_ in both of their gazes. “For what reason don't you want them to know?”

“To see what they do next. And before you ask, I'm coming to you specifically because I think the perpetrator is a common enemy.”

Daichi’s confusion was no longer subtle, eyebrows raised to his hairline. “Who-”

“You were attacked, weren't you?” Iwaizumi adjusted his cuffs, far too nonchalant for someone talking about, oh, a ship getting shot and almost wrecked. No big deal. “According to my sources, whoever attacked you was more interested in Johzenji, and the reason a suspicious amount of organized crime groups are going silent.”

“And who are these sources?” Daichi asked, voice laced with suspicion. Ryuu couldn’t blame him; nobody was supposed to know about the attack, especially the whole ‘working with Johzenji’ part. Or that ‘someone with expertise to go unnoticed’ part, either. As far as the star system knew, Ghost was withering away in a cell, not playing infiltrator for a secret ops ship.

“Seijou,” Chikara answered for him. “You paid for the lead.”

That one second that Iwaizumi stared at Chikara dragged on too long, olive eyes boring into the thief with no expression to read. It gave Ryuu the creeps. “Yes. Is that a problem?”

Daichi and Chikara exchanged glances again, some sort of unspoken conversation between their eyes that Ryuu could only interpret as _‘Shit, is it?’_ “I’m not sure. Would you be reporting back to them?” Daichi asked.

“Most likely. If anyone can find out who’s behind this, it’s them.” He stated everything so matter-of-factly, Ryuu forgot for a moment that Seijou were the asses that were spying on them. “You’ve heard how Seijou works. It’s a transaction. I give them what they want, they give me what I want. I tell them what happens, they’ll find out who did it.” Hell, he almost made them seem like they were some sort of good guys.

It was a good thing Chikara wouldn’t fall for it. “And how much would you tell them about us?”

“Yeah, how much?” Ryuu snarled with a curl of his lip. “How do we know you ain’t here right now to spy on us?”

_“Enough,_ Tanaka.”

“It’s alright.” Iwaizumi folded his arms across his chest, eyes scanning the three others. “I insisted on talking in this ship because the cameras are all over my suite. The only way someone can get past my security is with my clearance.”

“Which means it’s most likely that someone in your security planted them.” Chikara leaned forward as he listened, biting the tip of his thumb as the gears in his pretty head turned. “Why go to Seijou? Sounds like an inside job.”

“Because if I’m lucky, you’re right, and it is just an inside job. But I’m not taking my chances when people in my line of work are disappearing.”

“But it’s not people in your line of work. Your casino is completely legal.”

Iwaizumi had a pretty intense stare, Ryuu had to admit. Didn’t need to glare to be intimidating. Didn’t need to exaggerate raising his eyebrows or anything like that to imply Chikara was wrong about the ‘completely legal’ part, either. He let the extra second of silence speak for him before he continued. “If you help me with this, I’ll let you keep most of the cameras, on top of the payment, so you can look into it for yourself. I’ll only tell Seijou about the job and nothing more. Do we have a deal?”

Daichi and Chikara did that whole silent communication thing again. Despite the situation, Ryuu felt a swell of pride; Chikara wasn’t just acting like a part of the team, but like some kinda leader working alongside the captain. It suited him. Chikara wasn’t afraid to speak up on Daichi’s behalf, either. “Do you mind if we discuss this outside for a moment, Iwaizumi-san?”

Iwaizumi nodded. “Do what you need to do.”

Ryuu sidestepped to let them out the door, but he kept his arms folded across his chest and gaze locked onto their guest. “I’ll stay here and keep an eye on ‘im.” He wouldn’t have much to offer to the conversation anyways; after what Iwaizumi confessed, Ryuu would be obliged to argue against working with him regardless of whatever the others deemed best.

Even if, despite him being a bit shady, he didn’t seem so bad. “Suspicion is good. Suspicion is what keeps you alive when you do what I do,” Iwaizumi remarked when the door slid shut.

Ryuu’s natural reaction any other time would have been to argue back, probably something antagonizing about the ‘do what I do’ part, but he supposed he didn’t mind a little small talk with him. “Pretty ballsy to admit to us what you do,” Ryuu replied, amused. “You know we hunt down criminals, right?”

“I didn’t admit anything.” Iwaizumi smirked, the first smile since he walked into the ship. But it slipped off of his lips quickly. “It was my husband that found the cameras. I can’t take the chance he’s in danger. I’ll do whatever I can to keep him safe.”

It was hard to want to turn Iwaizumi down, regardless of who he was reporting to. Paying too much to Seijou for a ‘maybe’, walking straight into a group that could arrest him when he’s not exactly innocent… It was crazy, but if it was to protect someone he cared about, Ryuu would have done the same in a heartbeat. “Well, maybe we can help out with that.”

The other two were back quicker than expected. “We'll take the offer. Ennoshita has a plan in mind.”

Ryuu reached for Chikara’s hand instinctively when he stood beside him against the wall. “Already?”

Chikara squeezed his hand before letting go. _Right. No PDA_. “We still need to iron out a lot of the details. And I'll need some help from you, Iwaizumi-san.”

“Whatever you need.”

“First - suits.”

* * *

After two hours in the office and another hour of Kiyoko taking their measurements, they had a plan. It was pretty clever, too - he expected nothing less of Chikara - but… “I don't like it.”

“It's just two days, Ryuu.” It was good to be back in their room and not worrying about people watching, because Chikara’s hands on his waist was something Ryuu wasn’t sure he could ever get enough of.

Certainly wasn’t ready to live without it for two days.

Ryuu wrapped his arms around Chikara’s shoulders to hide his face against the crook of his neck. It was tempting to steal a kiss, too, but at this point, he knew the moment he went for it, they’d get interrupted. Probably by something ridiculous. With his luck, another attack. “When are ya leavin’?” he mumbled into Chikara’s neck. What a tease, to be so close to it.

“Tomorrow evening.” When Ryuu groaned, Chikara rubbed his back. “Don’t worry. I’ll be plenty bored without you. And,” he dropped his voice to a near whisper, “you’ll be there for the fun part.”

That perked Ryuu up a little bit. The ‘fun part’ wasn’t enough to make up for two days without Chikara when he just got him back, but it was something. “Speaking of fun,” Ryuu trailed his hands from the back of Chikara’s neck down his chest slowly, taking extra care to trace the bits of exposed collarbone with his fingertips, “How’re we goin’ to spend tonight?”

Chikara shivered, and damn, it felt good to watch him react to his touch, to feel his heartbeat pick up as he trailed his hands back up. Chikara clutched the back of Ryuu’s shirt, leaning in till their noses were touching and he could feel his breath on his lips. “Actually, I’ve got just the thing in mind.”

* * *

Turns out, what Chikara had in mind wasn’t quite what Ryuu had in mind. By a long shot. But he certainly wasn’t going to complain.

The round table off to the side of the common room was just big enough for the five of them to fit comfortably. (Chikara laughed, something about ‘Sir Bedivere’, but he refused to explain it. _Kinda cute, definitely nerdy.)_ The subtle texture of the cards Ryuu shuffled was a luxury to him; too much was digital nowadays, nothing tangible to run his fingers over.

“Why didn’t you invite the others?” Kinoshita asked as he reached for the red cards Ryuu dealt his way.

Noya had to stand a little to reach his dealt hand, but no one was brave enough to comment on it besides Chikara’s quiet snickering. “We did. Everyone else had plans, and Daichi-san and Asahi-san are still too busy cooing over Suga-san to do anything else with their free time.”

“Let them enjoy their puppy-love phase,” Narita remarked distractedly as he arranged his cards. It would figure Narita and Chikara were the types to sort their hand just to throw them on the table a minute later.

“Hey, I didn’t say anything. Can’t blame them for it.” Noya craned his neck to towards Chikara’s cards. “Same for you guys. I didn’t think I’d see you two leave your room for the next four months.”

“That’s tempting,” Chikara replied with a smile that made Ryuu’s stomach do a few flips, angling his cards away from Noya’s view. “But Ryuu wasn’t the only one I missed,” he finished bashfully.

“Chikara!” Noya leaped out of his chair to grab him, thin arms crushing Chikara around his shoulders.

“If you’re trying to look at my cards, it’s not working,” Chikara retorted with pink cheeks. It was a good look for him; cute blush, his lips twitching at the corner when he failed to hide a smile, and surrounded by friends.

“Alright, stop crushing ‘im, Noya-san. I like him in one piece.”

Dealing the poker chips around the table, Ryuu couldn’t help that fuzzy feeling he got when he looked around the full table - a feeling that stuck around even when he lost all his money to Kinoshita. At least he got plenty of practice gambling for the mission ahead.

* * *

The smile Chikara gave him when Ryuu offered his hand for their new nightly ritual made that fuzzy feeling even more overwhelming. “Suga-san, could you play that song again?”

Chikara fit in his arms just right, swaying to the music with him. _Puppy-love phase, huh?_ Sure, it was puppy love right now. Ryuu could admit that. It wouldn’t always be butterflies at every smile and stolen kisses at every chance, but something about that idea felt more satisfying. Falling into that state of contentment, living together comfortably and spending their days knowing that even if they weren’t constantly together, he’d always be there.

Maybe the two days without him wouldn’t be too excruciating.

It was too early to be assuming ‘always’ was a done deal, but dancing together like this - if their slow swaying could really be considered dancing - made it hard to believe that anything else was possible.

But he couldn’t help that tiny shred of fear of what could happen if he let go again.

* * *

Ryuu must have died in his sleep and woken up in heaven. Being the little spoon was his personal favorite; Chikara’s arm holding him all night, Chikara’s chest against his back, wisps of Chikara’s breath teasing his neck. But even better was the gentle kisses waking him, chapped lips trailing his shoulder to his nape.

Ryuu never thought he'd be such a sucker for something as simple as chilly feet warming up against his own. “Mm, g’morning.”

Chikara kissed just below the hairline at his nape before he returning the mumbled greeting and continuing his slow trail of kisses.

“Ready for your premiere as a hotshot playboy tonight?”

“Not at all,” Chikara confessed between kisses, making his way down Ryuu’s back. “Rather stay like this,” he punctuated with a kiss between his shoulder blades.

Ryuu was pretty sure he was melting into a puddle more and more with each kiss down his spine. “C’mon, you gotta be excited. You’ll be in your element.”

The kisses paused. “Maybe a little,” Chikara hummed after a moment before nudging Ryuu’s shoulder. When Ryuu obliged and turned to rest on his stomach, he could feel Chikara situate himself over him and kiss the center of his back. “It’s going to be different from what I normally do, though.”

Any questions or remarks on the tip of his tongue slipped away when Chikara’s lips reached closer to the hem of his boxers. “How much do you plan on kissin’?”

The next kiss was close enough to graze his boxers. “Every inch of you.”

Ryuu shivered at the lips against his skin and the words that tumbled from them. “Oh, yeah?” He spun around, meeting Chikara’s curious gaze before sitting up to push Chikara onto his back. Chikara’s gaze turned a different sort of curious, an interested anticipation as Ryuu straddled his waist. “You want to kiss all of this?”

He had to wonder if Chikara was even aware of how quickly he nodded or how roughly he was gripping Ryuu’s thighs.

“I’ll let you do all that, and then some,” Ryuu purred, “when you come back.”

Pretty, wide eyes blinked up at him, some of the haze clouding them clearing. “Huh?”

“Gotta give some incentive to make sure you come back to me.”

Chikara’s hand left his thigh to cup his neck. “I didn’t realize you were worried…”

_No, no more of that moping crap._ “Only a tiny bit. Just remember: If you don’t come back, you’ll be missin’ this.” Ryuu flexed his biceps - the real one, anyway - curling his arms up and giving the right a smooch, exaggerated puckering sounds and all.

The light blush on Chikara’s cheeks when he laughed was a hell of a look for him. That snort-laugh was pretty cute, too. “Hmm, I don’t know. I think I need more convincing.”

Ryuu was happy to oblige, flexing in a few more poses, complete with ridiculous faces.

“You make a compelling argument. Just this once,” Chikara quipped with that smile that had Ryuu’s stomach doing flips again.

“Alright, Mr. Smartass, let me show you another ‘compelling argument’.” Chikara gave a gasp of approval as Ryuu leaned down, his lips hovered over the pulse point of his neck, breath teasing-

He’d never hated a sound as much as he hated the _knock, knock_ at their door at that moment.

“Ennoshita-san? Tanaka-san? Could we talk?” Maybe Ryuu was going crazy, but he could have sworn Kageyama sounded _nervous-_ Nah, had to be because he was muffled through the door.

“Give us a minute,” Chikara answered back, giving Ryuu an apologetic smile.

Ryuu groaned against his neck. “Can’t it wait?”

“Ryuu, if we get started now, we won’t stop.”

“You ain’t helpin’ when you say that.”

It took a few minutes for them to put their clothes on, mostly because Ryuu refused to get off until that bastard Chikara had the nerve to tickle his ribs and send him toppling over.

Any remaining frustration gave way for concern when the door slid open and Kageyama stood there. Just... staring at him. It was hard to tell with the way he was always scowling like he stubbed his toe, but there was definitely something different about the shape of his frown and furrow of his brows. “You alright, Kageyama?”

Kageyama stood there for a calculated moment, hands politely folded in front of him as he considered his words. After the silence carried on a beat too long, he said, “Be careful with Iwaizumi’s husband.”

And left.

Or at least, he tried to. “Not so fast.” Ryuu grabbed Kageyama’s collar and yanked him into the room. “You can’t just say somethin’ like that and run off.”

“Suga-san, could you shut the door, please?” Chikara seated himself on the edge of their bed, giving Kageyama those concerned puppy-dog eyes he normally saved for Yamaguchi. After the door slid shut, he continued, “Kageyama, you studied under Iwaizumi-san’s husband at university, right?”

“Yes.” Kageyama wasn’t the greatest at conversation; if he had more to say, it was hard to tell with the way he just stood there.

“His engine company is the best out there. With your talents, you should have been offered a position working for him.” Chikara had a soothing presence to him. Had to be his soft voice. Or the calm way he carried himself. Or those pretty, round eyes that made him look like someone trustworthy, like a stranger you could lend your cell to. Or his reassuring smile. Or his- “Did something happen between you two?”

Kageyama hesitated, fingers fidgeting a little in his clasped hands. “Yes.” Chikara waited patiently, something about the way he tilted his head silently encouraging Kageyama to continue. “He… didn’t like me. We didn’t work well together.” Another waited pause. “He has a terrible personality. Maybe even worse than Tsukishima.”

“So, this is about some old grudge?” Ryuu barked a laugh. It must have caught Kageyama off guard, because he looked torn between surprised and offended. Which looked so out of place on his scowling face that Ryuu kept laughing as he reassured him, “Hey, you’re part of the team, Kageyama. You tell us don’t trust ‘im, we don’t trust him.”

“We won’t be interacting with him much at all,” Chikara reassured him as well.

The furrow in his brow relaxed before he nodded at the two. “May I leave now?”

“Yes. Thank you for the warning, Kageyama.”

Ryuu flopped beside Chikara on the bed once the engineer left, wrapping his arms around his torso and squishing his cheek against his shoulder. “What the hell was that about…”

Chikara rubbed Ryuu’s back while he frowned at the wall like it had any answers. “I wonder if we should be more worried….”

“Nah. He’s worried about an old grudge. It’s not like we’ll be makin’ friends. We do the job, and then we come back here - home.” Ryuu peered up at Chikara to catch that perfect blush. “And then I’ll flex more for ya.”

Chikara kissed his forehead. “Sounds like a plan.”

* * *

As much as he liked seeing the goddess Kiyoko, he wasn’t excited to see her giving Chikara what he needed to leave for the job. “The suits. One for each night that you’ll be there. Iwaizumi-san also sent a few extra things to help.” The items laid out on the loading bay’s table were impressive, and probably cost more than what Ryuu made in a year. He could see a month’s salary in one of the shiny watches alone. “Accessories, travel essentials, reservations, briefcases, suitcases, fake IDs. And these.” She pulled two sleek phones from her pocket, handing Ryuu and Chikara one each. “Communicators could pose a risk.”

Chikara turned the phone in his hand, running a finger along the buttons on the edge. “We’ll need to limit using these to emergencies. Avoid any chance for suspicion.”

Ryuu pocketed the phone without sparing its fancy exterior another glance. “You worry too much.”

“Worrying too much is part of the job, Ryuu.”

Kiyoko cleared her throat. “Your ride will be here soon.”

“I’ll go get changed, then.”

Ryuu grabbed Chikara by the waist and pulled him close before he could get the chance to run off. Kiyoko bowed her head politely before turning to leave. _Sorry, Kiyoko-san. I’m a taken man now._ “You’re too eager to run away, Chikara.”

Chikara gave him that look, two parts smug and one part affectionate. “I’m eager to get this over with.”

“But I’m not gonna see ya for _two whole days.”_ Maybe if he pouted hard enough, Chikara could come up with a better plan on the spot. One that didn’t leave his bed empty for a few nights.

“I’ll miss you, too.” Chikara gave him a quick peck on the cheek, and hell, it was hard to keep pouting when he did that. “I need to get ready, Ryuu.”

“At least let me watch you change.” The two days might be a tiny bit worth it if-

“I don’t think so.” _Damn it._ “Can’t have you seeing me in a suit early.”

“You’re a tease.”

Chikara leaned closer to whisper in his ear, hands on his chest sending a shiver down Ryuu’s spine. “I’ll make the wait worthwhile,” he promised with a seductive hum before pulling away.

“Damn tease,” was all Ryuu could mutter back.

“I’ll see you soon enough, okay? And now you can text me if anything comes up.”

Chikara closed the distance between them, a feather-light kiss that left Ryuu wanting so much more.

At least the view when Chikara walked away wasn’t bad at all.

* * *

“I'm not going to make it, Asahi-san.”

Asahi gave him a solid pat on the back. Whenever Ryuu needed support, he knew he could count on good ol’ Asahi-san.

Daichi was less supportive. “It's only been two hours, Tanaka.”

Tanaka groaned into Daichi’s pillow, burrowing under the blanket till he couldn’t see past it. Asahi kept rubbing his back over the blanket. Good ol’ Asahi-san. “I’m sure he misses you, too, Tanaka.”

“Good thing he's not dating you,” Daichi huffed to Asahi from his usual spot - Ryuu was beginning to wonder if Daichi slept at his desk. “You would disappear for weeks.”

“Hey, I stopped after we started dating! ...For a while.”

“Can I sleep here tonight?” Ryuu whined. He was going to crash _someone’s_ bed, damn it. He wasn’t gonna do the whole ‘sleeping alone’ thing again, not if he could help it.

“You’re not sleeping here tonight- Don’t give me that look, Asahi. We don’t have space for three, let alone four.”

Suga’s voice popped up from who-knows-where. “I’m going to be in the engine room tonight to help Narita with maintenance,” he singsonged. _You’re too good to me, Suga-san._

Daichi sighed, and could picture that look of _‘How do I put up with this’_ without looking over the covers. “Tanaka, sleeping in your captain’s bed isn’t exactly professional.”

“Was taking an injured man under your wing professional?” He could picture the look on Asahi’s face when he said that, too, enough so that he _had_ to peek over the covers to confirm- Yup, there it was, corner of his lip twitching at his remark, eyebrow barely raised. Asahi had a point; Ryuu couldn’t officially join as a soldier after he lost his arm, but that hadn’t stopped Daichi from finding loopholes.

“Remember when you told the higher-ups it was for ‘janitorial work’? He couldn’t even hold a mop without his arm giving out,” Suga continued for Asahi, though the giggle afterward was foreboding. “He even hit you with it a few-”

“Only twice! On accident!” Ryuu interrupted, much to Suga’s delight. _Laugh it up all you want, Suga-san, but smacking my new captain in the face with a broom was the scariest moment of my life, and I ain’t itchin’ to relive it._

“Why not sleep with Nishinoya?”

“Have you seen how _bony_ he is? An’ he moves around too damn much. Bad combo, makes his elbows weapons.”

“Fine. Since everyone is against me - you can stay, Tanaka. _Only_ tonight.”

Ryuu couldn’t help his delighted chuckle as he wiggled to the dead center of the bed.

“Tanaka…”

“Can’t hear ya, I’m asleep.”

Daichi sighed again, but Ryuu could tell he was amused; he didn’t need to see Daichi’s face to know he had that grin on when he thought Ryuu and Nishinoya weren’t watching.

Being squished between Asahi and Daichi was top notch - nice and cozy with a few arms crossed over him. Suga was a lucky robot to have that every night. Suga was the real hero for the night, his sacrifice a gift Ryuu would never forget.

* * *

“You’ll see him tomorrow, right? That’s not so bad,” Yamaguchi offered sympathetically. Ah, Yamaguchi. A good kid. Best intentions, really. Wrong idea, but best intentions.

“Not until tomorrow night.” Ryuu’s pout was going to get permanently stuck on his face any moment now, if that crap Saeko told him as a kid was real.

“You’ll be fine, Ryuu!” Noya pat him on the back. Hard. “When are you gonna tell us about this mission?”

_Shit._ Besides Kiyoko, Suga, and Asahi, the details weren’t mentioned to the others - and even what they knew, with the exception of Suga, wasn’t much at all. It was best left as quiet as possible. What if Seijou planted the cameras? What if their spy was still reporting?

What if their spy was one of the three looking at him expectantly now?

_Shit._ He didn’t want to think about that. “It's on a need-to-know. Iwaizumi-san said so.”

The half-second before any of them moved was long enough for Ryuu’s stomach to drop. Would one of them slip up? Would one of them pry? Would one of them-

“I want to join the party!”

“I don't think they’re going to a party, Nishinoya-san…”

“But they had _suits!”_

It was a good thing Tsukishima was too distracted watching the other two with the vaguest of interest to catch Ryuu’s sigh of relief. _Dodged that bullet._ If he could convince them - especially Tsukishima, though that had to be out of some sort of crazy luck - then anyone else that asked would be no sweat.

Yamaguchi was cute and all, but just this once, Ryuu could do without his genuine curiosity. “I wonder why Ennoshita-san had to go early.”

All three of them looked at him expectantly, and, shit, why did the gods have to give him such a big mouth; this secrecy thing wasn’t his specialty. It couldn’t hurt to let them in on just this, right? Chikara's plan was too clever to be left a complete secret. “‘Cause if we go in on the same day, it’s too suspicious that we came in together. Gotta pretend we’re strangers. Then, I act like I’ve never seen him before. Fall in love at first sight with my man all over again.”

If Chikara was still there.

Chikara wouldn't run off again, right? Not that Ryuu wasn't worried, not at all.

Yamaguchi smirked. “Love at first sight? It seemed like you two hated each other when I met him at the combat simulator-”

“W-we just didn’t know we were in love yet!”

* * *

He wasn’t worried. Just… curious. That was it.

“T-Tanaka-san! I wasn’t expecting y- Er, company!”

“Yeah. I wasn’t expectin’ this either.” Left hand loosely wedged in a pocket, right hand flicking the weird hamster plush on Yachi’s desk, Ryuu looked everywhere but at Yachi and the seat beside her. Didn’t want to give her the impression he was sticking around. Just had a question or two, then he’d be out of the office, never to return to its sky-blue walls and angry hamster toy. “I was thinkin’ you’d know something about why Chikara ran off before.”

Her chair did a little, high-pitched squeak when she spun to face him better. Kinda like the squeaks she made sometimes. Cute, for a chair that needed oil. “He hasn’t talked to you about that yet?”

“He did.” Through an interrogation room window. Not the best place for that sorta convo, in hindsight. “But I figured you’d…” That she’d… That she’d what? Read his mind or something? Why the hell did he bother coming here? “Ya know what, forget it. It was stupid.” He’d spent enough time in there for a lifetime anyw-

“No, wait!” It was hard to tell who was more surprised that Yachi jumped out of her chair to tug his shirt; by the look of _‘What have I done, I’ve messed up forever, I can never come here again,’_ on her face, it might have been her. “Y-y-you wanted to talk about Ennoshita-san, right?” She took a deep enough breath that he could see it in the way her shoulders heaved. “You’re wondering if there’s something more to him leaving, right?”

That button to open the door was pretty enticing, but if she had some sort of answers… _anything_ that could give him a better look into Chikara’s frustratingly complicated mind, and put his own at ease… “You got ideas?”

“I do!” Yachi’s eyes landed on her grip on his tanktop, and for half a second she had that ‘I’ve messed up everything forever’ look on her face again as she let go. And pat out the wrinkle she left behind as she cleared her throat. “Would you like to sit?”

“Nope.” No way in hell.

“That’s okay! I like this chair better.” She pat down the back of her skirt as she took a seat in the guest chair, something delicate about the motion that caught Ryuu’s eye. “It isn’t stupid at all to worry.”

He leaned against the wall by the door, folding his arms across his chest. That was the most settling down this place was going to get out of him. “But it is stupid. We talked about it already. It’s old news.”

Yachi had a look that fit her office. Her cute summer dress was a soothing teal, and something about the way her pink flats matched the teal was appealing. Cute girl. Cute office. If he had to be dealing with either, at least they were cute. “But that doesn’t change that it hurt you. I think it still would have hurt you most of all even if you weren’t close.”

“That makes no sense.” Made no sense that it wouldn’t hurt if he wasn’t in love with the guy, and made no sense that he _wouldn’t_ have fallen in love with him. Had she seen Chikara?! It was a surprise he wasn’t fighting people off him at every turn.

“Tanaka-san, how would you feel if Kageyama vanished one day?”

“I wouldn’t-” His stomach lurched before he could say something about not caring. Had to be the ship or something like that. Turbulence. Yeah, that had to be it. Sure, he’d care if Kageyama went missing, but it wouldn’t be the same as- _Ugh, did I eat somethin’ bad?_ “What’s that gotta do with anything?”

“Ennoshita-san disappeared like your old squad did. In a way, it was similar to the moment that changed your life. You had no idea if he was safe, or if you could have done anything to prevent it.”

It wasn’t the same at all. He was there with his squad when they got attacked. It was violent, and terrifying, and in the blink of an eye, they were gone. Leaving him clueless and helpless. Chikara’s was… it was passionate, and exhilarating, and…

And in the blink of an eye, he was gone. Leaving him clueless and helpless.

Ryuu scratched at his arm, nails scraping hard against the fake skin. _Why’s it itchy, ain’t anything there..._ Shit, it felt like ants crawling up his forearm, twisting around his elbow no matter how hard he scratched them off. “I ain’t here about me. You gonna tell me about Chikara or not?”

“Ennoshita-san has had severe commitment issues for most of his life. He knew getting into a relationship with you would be a lot more serious than the flings he's had in the past. Fleeing was a natural reaction for him...” Her thought trailed away from her for a moment before Ryuu could practically see the exclamation marks popping over her head. “Th-that doesn’t make it your fault, of course!” She waved her hands in front of her frantically to match the punctuation crown Ryuu was imagining. “He would have run once he realized he was getting attached to the team, but it would have taken him longer! And he came back on his own. That’s a huge step for him! It shows he’s ready to work out his issues.”

He had to admit, it was kinda nice to hear it wasn’t his fault. Even if he didn’t honestly believe it. “I already know all that, though. Thought you’d have somethin’ less obvious to point out.” Though that ‘would have left eventually anyway’ was interesting.

“I think I do. Tanaka-san...” He didn’t like the way she hesitated on his name, and he didn’t like the way she was nervously scratching her cheek, either. The office may have been cozy, but this whole conversation was a hell of an opposite. “He’s doing what he can to show his dedication. But you’re going to keep worrying about him as long as you worry about people disappearing from your life.”

_Comin’ here was a mistake._ He had every right to worry. If he wanted to hold onto that, that was his damn choice.

“Tanaka-san, as long as you’re worried, you’re never going to fully trust him.”

_“That ain’t true,”_ he growled. _Shit,_ he didn’t come here for gods-damned head games.  

He wasn’t sure which was worse: that Yachi flinched and went pale enough to match the clouds in the painting behind her, or that she adamantly kept her eye contact.

No. The worst part was that he knew she wasn’t fucking wrong. _Gods-damn it._ He knew he didn’t trust _anything_ to not vanish, from the team he loved to the ground beneath his feet. He couldn’t trust any of it, all he could do was fight tooth and nail to keep it safe until life decided to steal everything away again. “Trust ain’t a thing you can just fix,” he hissed, but there was no steam to it, his irritability nothing more than wisps.

“It can be fixed. With time.” The soft padding on the backrest of the guest chair molded to her form when she rested against it. “But it all depends on you. I can’t help unless you want help.”

Damn it.

She had to be lying. Can't help that sort of thing, not doing something like rambling about old wounds to Yacchan while sitting in some squishy chair and squeezing some cute hamster toy.

Right?

He flicked the stupid toy glaring at him again before shoving his hand back in his pocket. “Will that stop the nightmares?” he mumbled low enough that he barely heard his own damn himself.

“I think it will, Tanaka-san.”

His gaze flit between the door and the empty chair. Mostly the door.

“You don’t have to decide now! I’m here anytime you want.” Her gaze flickered between Ryuu and the door, playing with the cloth of her skirt idly. “Um, Tanaka-san… Can you do me a favor just for tonight? I saw you come out of Daichi-san’s room this morning. I’d like you to try sleeping in your room, alone. With the door shut.”

He rubbed at the furrow on his brow with the back of his wrist. “What the hell for?”

“Because-” She interrupted herself, a fingertip to her pursed lips as she considered her words. “I’d like you to see how it makes you feel, and why it makes you feel that way.”

“It’s just sleepin’ in my room.” Alone. With the door shut.

“Maybe it will be.” Her soft smile was the only comfort that damn room gave him. “Thank you for talking with me today.”

* * *

He didn’t _have_ to do what Yachi asked. Hell, with a part of his mind screaming _‘You don’t need to follow any orders except Daichi’s,’_ he was tempted to go crash in Noya’s room instead.

But he’d entertain her little idea for her sake. Do it once, tell her it was nothing special, satisfy her curiosity, and go back to doing his own thing.

The closed door was frigid against his palm.

_Just one night._

He waded through the dirty clothes and whatever other crap they owned that had a habit of finding its way to the floor. The bed was far too big for just one guy. _A waste of space. Maybe I should page Noya over…_

His ear felt a bit funny when he took off the communicator, leaving a chill instead of an escape. _No excuses, we’re doing this._ He’d leave the escapes to Chikara - not that Chikara was escaping _him,_ he reminded himself as he pulled the blanket over him.

If he was going to have this nice, big bed all to himself, why not take advantage? He rolled over to the center, stretched out his legs, and wiggled in the blanket a bit to tuck himself in.

Then his gaze fell back to the door.

_It’s feelin’ a bit stuffy._

He’d slept with the door shut before. Every night, even, when half of their room was abandoned, and Ryuu took it upon himself to keep Chikara’s bed warm until he got back from his spontaneous vacation.

Every night, he closed the door.

Every morning, he opened the door in hopes of a different life where Chikara had never left would greet him. Every morning, he opened the door to find the same, empty life staring back at him.

But that was different. Everything was good now. They closed the door every night before they fell asleep in each other’s arms.

_Why’d I always keep it open before Chikara?_

Pfft, an easy question, not worth overthinking. The dimmed light from the hall, and occasional silhouette accompanied by the shuffling of feet whenever someone got up to swap shifts or take a piss made him feel…

...Feel what?

_Feel like I ain't lonely?_ There was nothing wrong with that. He wasn't the only one who did that. Like Noya, for one. Back when they shared a place, there was something comforting about hearing the creaks of Noya’s mattress when he tossed and turned. Same with Hinata across the hall; Ryuu could barely hear his snoring most nights, but it was enough to remind Ryuu that he was still there.

Hinata was still there on the other side of the door. Closing it wouldn't change that. _Makes it too quiet, that's all,_ Ryuu decided as he scratched at the elbow that was no longer really there. Hinata wasn't going anywhere just because Ryuu couldn't see him…

_What if he’s not-_

It was a good thing Chikara wasn't there, because his heartbeat picking up for no damn reason as he rushed towards the door would have woken him up. And if that didn’t wake Chikara, Ryuu slamming his fist on the button to open the door certainly would have.

Hinata, on the other hand, was resting peacefully despite the noise.

He was still there, limbs slung over the side of the bed and a bit of drool on his cheek. He didn’t vanish while Ryuu wasn’t vigilant. Neither did Yamaguchi, giving Ryuu a sleepy nod as he passed by.

His hand hovered over the button before he punched it again, the door sliding shut too quickly before his eyes. _Can Yacchan really help this shit?_ He didn’t believe for a damn second that _talking_ would make this go away. There was nothing that could stop this feeling that his world would vanish when he wasn’t looking, that Chikara wouldn’t be gone whenever he let go.

Like how he let go the other day.

_Damn it all._

Chikara was probably already starting a new life with a new name on a new planet where Ryuu could never find him-

The rattle of the phone vibrating on Chikara’s desk made him jump at least three feet. He ran to it as quickly as he had run to the gods-forsaken door, swiping the screen and cursing under his breath as he struggled to figure out how to open the message.

_“Spatial awareness,”_ was all the screen read.

_Huh?_ He typed a _‘huh’_ back, too, complete with excessive question marks.

Three messages followed, the pause between each telling him Chikara was struggling to get used to the keypad like he was. _“Do you remember when we first shared your bed, and you were telling me about your arm? We couldn’t remember the term for not having a good sense of what’s around it. It was ‘spatial awareness’.”_

Ryuu could feel the big, doofy grin he desperately needed pulling at his lips. _“a couple months l8,”_ he typed back with a trail of _‘lol’s_ behind it. _“thought u said 2 save this 4 emergencies.”_

There was a longer pause this time, a hesitant pause for such a short message. _“I miss you.”_

Chikara was at the best casino in the entire star system with enough free money to throw around to make anyone weep with envy, and he was spending his time texting Ryuu about a conversation thought lost to time. _“miss you 2 chikara.”_

Chikara didn’t respond back, but that was alright; the doofy grin plastered on Ryuu’s face was going to be stuck there all night.

He turned the phone in his hands to give it the first real inspection; he hadn’t given it anything more than a quick once-over - no sense getting attached to it when he had to give it back after. _Chikara and I should get our own after this so I can call Sis. Tora, too._ He rolled back to his side of the bed, tossing the phone on Chikara’s pillow.

He didn’t believe for a second that talking shit out with Yacchan could fix his paranoia. But - even if it was a shitty, shallow reason - for Chikara, he’d try.

* * *

“Looking good, Ryuu!”

He didn't need Noya to tell him that. Whistling at his own reflection, he knew he looked good. Not that he was going to complain about the praise. “Think Chikara will like it?”

Noya thwacked his back hard enough to sting. _“Like_ it? Ryuu, you're going to have to stop him from dropping his pants on the spot.”

Ryuu turned side to side again to check out the suit in the mirror, with Noya’s thumbs up cheering him on. The gray blazer hugged his arms just right, and the tie Yachi helped him with felt like a noose, but he pulled it off damn well. _How does he wear those turtlenecks all the time? This thing feels like a toddler is strangling me._ Murderous babies aside, Noya was right; the real challenge tonight would be getting Chikara to keep his pants on, no doubt about it. “Time to go seduce my man.”

* * *

Ryuu was sure as hell out of his element when he stepped through the gold plated doorway. But no one other than him could tell when he was dressed like he was hot shit and strolling past the waiting lines beside the top dog.

Ryuu expected he'd be walking into something classy, but hell, he never expected this. Each of the chandeliers that bathed the place in violet must have been worth at least ten times as much as the standard issue laptop in his room, and the pillars with stone carvings behind each card table… He didn’t want to think about how much those cost. He didn’t want to think about sitting on one of those gorgeous couches lining the walls, either; he couldn’t risk falling asleep the moment his ass met the deep blue velvet.

He also didn’t expect the place to feel so _alive._ Whenever he imagined ‘fancy’, he thought of those restaurants where the most you hear is hushed conversations and the occasional bark of laughter, and the most action going down was limited to the servers moving from table to table showing off stupidly-priced champagne bottles. The casino didn’t have the wild air Johzenji’s ‘Playground’ had; it had a different liveliness, a brand entirely its own. Laughter and cheers as small crowds gathered around some lucky stud on a winning streak, or a desperate bastard laying it all on the line. There were cards shuffling, dice rolling, slot machines chiming, and at least one idiot crying to security that he _‘lost too much money, who do I talk to about getting it back’._

But those gorgeous, dark eyes watching him hungrily from the bar were the real jackpot.

Iwaizumi had to yank him by the collar before he could drift off, dragging him towards a flashy elevator in center view.

The VIP lounge was… significantly more boring. Even had a server showing off a stupidly-priced champagne bottle. The only good part about it was the view from the glass balcony; they could see the casino, the world below, and the world was forced to watch them all back, a reminder of who was above and beyond.

But all Ryuu cared about was the stud still looking at him as if he were prey from down below. “How long do I gotta be in here?”

Iwazumi didn’t spare him a glance. “Relax, Kazushi. Say hi to Tooru before you run off.”

_Step 1: Play the part._

Even if that meant buddying up with Oikawa Tooru, leading entrepreneur of the engine world and the man Kageyama warned him about. Ryuu was expecting some sort mustache-twirling villain, maybe a cat on his lap while he slowly turned in a chair to greet them.

_I gotta stop expectin’ things._ Instead of a middle-aged villain cackling with steepled fingers, some pretty-boy surrounded by a few gorgeous babes waved them over.

The lack of cat and mustache was disappointing, in all honesty.

_I don’t like this guy._ Those hotties were way too happy to be talking to him. And they were giggling. _Giggling._ Why? Was it the charming smile? Was it the white suit with some sorta light blue shirt underneath that complimented him frustratingly well? Was it the way he singsonged _‘Iwa-chan~’_ when they approached?

Ryuu was so wrapped up in his thoughts about the nickname - _How dead inside would Chikara look if I called him ‘Chika-chan’?_ \- that he nearly missed his introduction. “Tooru. You remember my cousin, Kazushi.”

“Ah yes, Kazushi-chan! It’s been a while.” There was something twisted in his eyes for the half a beat it took him to catch on. His smile never faltered. _I thought he wasn’t in on the plan? He played along too easily._

“Cousin! I’ve missed you!” Ryuu met Oikawa’s offered hand with a crushing grip and too much enthusiasm, shaking vigorously. Puckering his lips, Ryuu dived in and left a nice, sloppy smooch on his cheek, too, exaggerated _mwah_ and all.

Oikawa’s smugly raised eyebrow only served to piss him off more. “I forgot how… friendly you could be, Kazushi-chan.” The cunning smirk wavered while he wiped his cheek, and well, that was a small victory in Ryuu’s book.

He said hi like Iwaizumi wanted. He wasn’t itching to stick around and make small talk with Sir Pretty-Boy. “Can I leave yet?”

Iwaizumi reminded Ryuu a bit of Daichi, but less.. expressive. “Go ahead, you’ve caused enough of a scene here,” he said with the faintest possible upward curl of his lips. If it was Daichi, it would have been a pained sigh, followed by a _“Just go,”_ before giving that amused smile when he thought Ryuu wasn’t looking.

But Ryuu didn’t have time now to think about Daichi; he had a different dark-haired beauty waiting for him somewhere in the fun part of the casino.

_Step 2: Play the waiting game until Chikara makes his move._

Chikara had warned him that he wouldn't be the only one interested in him as he walked out of the VIP lounge; a year ago, Ryuu would have been _far_ too giddy with the babes flocking to him the moment he stepped out of the elevator, even if he knew they just wanted in on the VIP lounge. Two beauties in a dress on to his left, one beauty in a vest to his right - alright, maybe he was still a bit giddy, their shallow compliments of _‘Hey, handsome,’_ and the like turning him into a blushing mess.

The server that approached him to hand him a glass was fine as hell, too. _This place is heaven._ “From the gentleman at the bar,” the unfairly hot server said with an accent that Ryuu definitely wouldn’t mind hearing more of.

Ryuu took one look at the glass as he grabbed it before his gaze fell on ‘the gentleman at the bar’ beckoning him with that intense stare that sent shivers down his spine.

He walked through the wall of babes, ignoring their calls of _“Where are you off to, handsome? The party’s right here,”_ to follow the heartbeat strong in his chest.

_Step 3: Flirt it up._

Shit, Chikara looked _too_ good in that get-up. Black from head to toe, - _Does he wear any other color?_ \- with a matching black button-up, the blazer fit so well that it was straight up criminal. And worst of all, by far, was the two buttons undone to show off his neck that Ryuu could see, but not touch. There was no way he was going to get through this mission with his sanity intact if he had to spend the night with that view.

Chikara had this air about him, like the casino was built just to compliment him. The outfit was a perfect fit, his heavy-lidded gaze was all the more alluring in the bar’s dimmed lights, and his every movement from running a finger over the rim of his glass to the slow turn of his head towards Ryuu were as natural as the beat in his chest in the buzz of the casino. “I didn’t mean to pull you away from your friends.” _Shit, was Chikara’s voice always this sexy?_ Chikara’s gaze travelled down, down, down, unabashed as he undressed Ryuu with his dark eyes.

Ryuu tugged at his collar. _Is it hot in here? It’s way too hot in here._ He nearly missed his stool when he sat beside Chikara. “You, uh, you didn’t- Hi?”

Chikara’s dorky giggle-snort helped drag his pining ass back to reality. Alluring as he was, he was still his Chikara. His Chikara that started stealing ‘cause he fanboy’d over movies too hard, his Chikara that parted his hair and wouldn’t know fashion if it slinked down the catwalk to kick him in the face, his Chikara whose eyes lit up when he spoke of mysterious, little boxes and stealing jewelry receipts. “Hi.” He really had the cutest curl of his lips Ryuu had ever seen, and there was that blush again that made it even cuter. Unfairly cute, honestly. “I couldn't help but notice you when you walked in.”

Ryuu twirled the stool to better face him, leaning his elbow on the bar counter. “Was it ‘cause I walked in with the top dog, or was it cause you like what you see?”

“I admit, first it was because you were with the owner. But…” That lopsided grin was as dorky as his parted hair, and damn, Ryuu was such a sucker for it. “I had a hard time tearing my eyes away.”  

“Yeah, well, you ain’t too bad yourself,” Ryuu teased back, and he knew he _had_ to be grinning as stupidly as the thief.

“Aren’t you a sweet-talker,” Chikara said with that smug tone of his. “I’m Naoki.”

“I’m, uh…” Ryuu didn’t need that smug grin growing when he forgot his own damn name. “Ka… Kazushi? Kazushi. Yeah, that’s it.”

Chikara huffed, that little _‘Ha’_ he usually did at Ryuu’s stupid jokes. “You don’t sound too sure of yourself. Here.” Chikara grabbed Ryuu’s hand with an unexpected gentleness, the leather gloves he wore as soft as his grip. “Can’t have you forgetting my name, too. They say if you write someone’s name on your palm, you’ll remember it.”

Ryuu knew the _‘you’ll remember it’_ part only worked if he was the one writing, but he wasn’t about to open his mouth as Chikara traced his palm with his fingertip, the characters Chikara hummed along with, _“Nao~ki,”_ tingling all the way up his forearm.

Chikara curled Ryuu’s fingers over his palm, giving him that sleepy-looking smile that drove him crazy. “There. Keep it safe.”

He wasn’t going to let Chikara get away with being the better flirt. “Lemme return the favor.” He took Chikara’s gloved hand into his own, brushing the button that snapped above the white handcuff with his thumb. “But this has gotta go.”

“W-wait, wait, keep it on-”

“Alright, relax. I’ll keep it on.” He pulled at the strap to unsnap the button. “But I’m gonna pull it down a bit. Trick won’t work if I don’t do it right.”

Chikara’s heartbeat picked up as Ryuu brushed his thumb over the skin just below the white cuff, the shackle looking like nothing more than an awkward bracelet to anyone unaware. “Just a little, then.”

He kept his eyes locked onto Chikara’s as he peeled the glove down slowly, and hell, he was winning at this flirting game, if Chikara’s heartbeat was anything to go by. “It’s a shame to keep these pretty hands covered up.” He traced the tip of his index finger across Chikara’s blank palm until he met the leather bunched up by the base of his fingers. “Let’s see, what was my name again?” he joked, getting a faint laugh out of Chikara. “Ah, right, it’s Ka-” he first traced over Chikara’s palm with the same teasing gentleness Chikara used that made his hand tingle. “Zu-” he brushed his fingertip right below the shackle, rewarded with his shiver. Then he dipped his finger under the hem of Chikara’s sleeve. “Shi. Kazushi.” He gave Chikara’s palm a last slow swipe before he pulled the glove back down over. “Got it?”

“I’ll remember it well.” Chikara pulled his hand away hesitantly, brushing his fingers along Ryuu’s palm every centimeter of the way. “So, Kazushi. I hope the drink is to your liking.” He nudged his head towards the matching glasses on the counter as he snapped the button on his glove.

“Yeah, yeah. It’s good.”

Chikara raised a brow, giving him that smirk. “...Have you even taken a sip yet?”

“I’m savoring it, that’s all.” Ryuu raised the glass to his lips for the sake of argument. Sweet, with just the right burn down his throat. “Why’re ya back here, brooding in the corner instead of having fun throwing away your life savings?”

“Ha. As much fun as it to watch everything you own hang by a thread, I think my years of gambling are done.” Chikara took a sip from his glass, peering over his shoulder out to the floor where the casino’s liveliness thrived. “I came here hoping to find something,” he added wistfully before he turned to face the wall lined with every alcohol imaginable behind the bar.

“Oh, yeah? What’s that ‘something’ you’re lookin’ for?”

“I’m not sure. Perhaps…” Chikara watched Ryuu from the corner of his pretty eye as he raised his glass to his lips, “I’m searching for something a little dangerous.”

Ryuu struggled to swallow, tugging at the already-loosened knot on his tie. _Dangerous? I can do dangerous._ He leaned on his elbow again, reaching out to brush the back of his knuckle over the side of Chikara’s neck. It could use a few hickies, maybe a bite mark or two. “And did you find that ‘something dangerous’?”

The way Chikara hummed “We’ll see,” made it hard for Ryuu to breathe. “What brought _you_ here? I’m curious what had you walking in with the owner.”

“He’s my cousin.” Damn it, that sounded so dull in comparison to Chikara’s tale.

“Your cousin? So you come here often?”

“Nah, only been here once before. I ain’t much for this kinda place. It’s all suits and cheap thrills.”

Chikara took his time looking up… and down… A hunger in his eyes that made Ryuu want to pin him against the counter, give the whole casino a show. “But you pull off the suit part so well.” He turned on his stool to face Ryuu, leaning forward to grab the middle of Ryuu’s tie gently. “What do you do for thrills, Kazushi?”

_I get my arm blown off and fall in love with thieves._ He always hated ties, but hell, with Chikara using it as a loose leash, he was starting to think he should wear them more often. Like, daily. “That’s a secret.”

Chikara’s eyes strayed to his tie as if he actually gave a damn about it, and- shit, was he biting his lip? “Cheap answer. Are you supposed to be some sort of secret service?”

If there was one skill Ryuu was exceptional at, it was shoving his foot in his mouth. “If I told you, I’d have to k- Wait-”

Too late. The damage had already been done. “Pffttt, that was so _cliche!”_ Chikara had the nerve to _laugh_ at him instead of backing him up, his blush catching in the bar’s dim light.

_Hmph, some supportive boyfriend he is._ “Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up, Mr. _I’m-Looking-For-Danger._ You ain’t much better.”

Chikara snorted, running his thumb over the tie. “Alright, alright. Fair point. I suppose we’re both a little terrible at this flirting business.”

“Speak for yourself, Naoki. I’m a natural.”

Chikara did that giggle-snort again, an unflattering noise caught in his throat. There was nothing stopping Ryuu from guffawing at his expense, not even the bartender pouring a drink and a patron two stools away watching with raised brows.

“Oh, you’re a natural alright,” Chikara said with that lopsided grin, twirling Ryuu’s tie around his finger absently now. Ryuu nearly forgot this was supposed to be a song and dance, a ‘chance encounter with a beautiful stranger’ when Chikara was only a few inches away, so casually by his side that stealing a kiss would be as natural as breathing.

_Hell, why not._

He caught a glimpse of the fine lines of the camera contact in Chikara’s right eye before he closed the distance. Chikara’s sigh was as gentle as their lips meeting, a kiss so soft that he wasn’t sure who it was teasing more.

Chikara looking at him shyly was killing Ryuu in the best of ways. “You’re rather direct, Kazushi,” Chikara whispered, low and deep.

“Look who’s talking. You’re the one playin’ with my tie,” Ryuu whispered right back.

_Gods have mercy,_ Chikara was biting his lip again as he looked down at Ryuu’s. “Fair enough.” Chikara tugged at the tie, pulling Ryuu close to bring their lips together again. Chikara parted his lips this time, just enough to take Ryuu’s top lip between his own before pulling away. “How about you give me a tour of your suite,” he hummed from only a centimeter away, his breath on Ryuu’s lips taunting.

Ryuu stole another kiss, rougher this time, before grabbing Chikara’s other hand. “That’s the best damn thing you’ve said all night.”

_Step 4: Fall for the thief's trap and bring ‘im straight to his target._

Plenty of eyes were on them as he rushed Chikara through the aisles of beauties, gamblers, and lushes, and Ryuu couldn’t blame them for staring one bit; he was holding hands with the most stunning babe in all of Everfall, pulling him into one of the flashy VIP elevators with enough enthusiasm to make him stumble into his arms. “Hope you like elevator rides, ‘cause we’re going all the way up.”

The glass doors gave the entire casino a view of Ryuu backing Chikara against the wall as they ascended out of sight.

“So…” Only a few inches away, Chikara took his time scanning Ryuu’s face with heavy-lidded eyes, lingering on his lips before catching Ryuu’s gaze. “You’re on the top floor? Must be quite the sight.”

“It’s alright. Doesn’t compare to this.” Ryuu reached for Chikara’s waist, savoring the heavy heartbeat in sync with his own.

Chikara’s hands found their way to Ryuu’s chest, right where they belong. “Your suite must be near your cousin’s. I wonder how extravagant his apartment is.”

Ryuu dipped his head, lips hovering over the side of Chikara’s cruelly bare neck. “Then lucky thing for you, I stole his card key.”

Chikara’s smirk was as teasing as his neck. “I should call security. Let them know Kazushi is a thief.”

“You wanted ‘dangerous’. A little breaking an’ entering’s a good first taste. Just imagine their bed.” Ryuu grazed his teeth over the skin, Chikara gasped and clutched at his shirt, and-

The elevator dinged before the glass doors opened; the poor sucker that walked in spun on their heel so fast that they must have gotten whiplash. “I’ll, I’ll uh, get the next-” They reached in to double-tap the _Close_ button before scurrying out of sight.

Chikara’s face drained of color- which wasn’t much. He was naturally kinda pale, anyways. “We should, maybe, um… There’s a glass door, and people still need to use-”

“They can use the other one.” Ryuu nipped at Chikara’s jawline. “You scared of giving the place a _show,_ Mr. Dangerous? Or all you all talk?”

Chikara spun Ryuu and shoved him against the wall so quickly, he didn’t realize what the hell was going on until his thick skull bumped the wall and Chikara’s tongue was already in his mouth.

Shit, he missed this. Missed Chikara’s kisses, missed Chikara’s lust, missed Chikara’s hair between his fingers when he wrapped his arms over Chikara’s shoulders to get a nice handful of it.

The few minutes before they reached the top were over in a flash, and the security dressed in suit and tie didn’t even blink an eye as Iwaizumi’s “cousin” walked past them and turned the corner.

“Are you sure it’s okay for us to go in?” Chikara asked as Ryuu fumbled with the card key to unlock the main suite door.

“It ain’t okay. But we’re not in sight of anybody here.” _And the guard watching the security monitors is the only guy that knows what’s going on._

Both stood in awe when they stepped through the door, whispering “Holy shit,” in unison. Ryuu didn’t think anything could get fancier than the casino, but hell, was he ever wrong. He wasn’t sure what the difference between “lavish” and “gaudy” was, but he was thinking this was the latter. _Bet it’s that Oikawa guy’s taste._ Garish white and teal furniture, gold plating on damn near everything, a piano that must have been just for show, and- shit, was that a pool on the balcony? _Who the hell swims in a pool all the way up here?_

Chikara tugged on Ryuu’s tie, pulling him along as he walked through the living room. _Really is a leash to ‘im._ “This is extraordinary.”

“It’s too much.”

“Without a doubt. But imagine all they could be hiding here.” There was a delight gleaming in Chikara’s pretty eyes as he scanned the room - scanned the corners, scanned the furniture from afar, scanned the nooks and crannies where the planted cameras could be watching their every move.

Chikara led him to the bedroom, with a wall lined with glass to show off the lights of Everfall as far as the eye can see. And one _hell_ of a bed. “Mm. Just what I was looking for,” Chikara hummed as walked him towards the grand bed, sitting on the edge of the white comforter made of silk and lace. He yanked Ryuu’s tie to pull him between his knees, going straight for his lips with his teeth. It was nearly enough to call off the mission then and there, to push him down on the bed and mess up Oikawa’s precious sheets like _Naoki_ wanted.

But _Ghost_ had other plans, plans disguised by his demands. Chikara pulled at Ryuu’s lip with his teeth slowly before he let go. “Check the bathroom for condoms.”

“Yes, sir.” Ryuu rushed towards one of the doors, finding the room he wanted by a stroke of luck when he turned the crystal doorknob.

_Step 5: Wait for Chikara to grab the cameras, and whatever else will fill his pockets._

The first thing any amateur thief would do was go for the cameras, or at least that’s what Chikara had told him. He refused to say why he felt the need to add ‘amatuer’, which only fueled Ryuu’s curiosity. Chikara was no amateur, but he was ready to play the part; deactivating the cameras and shoving them in his pocket like it was to hide his identity while his sticky fingers took all they pleased while _Kazushi_ was distracted.

The washroom that the naive, lusting Kazushi had to hunt through was way too big for two guys. _How many hair products does this jackass need?_ That mirror was almost as long as the command center table, and like everything else, framed with gold. _He just wants to show off all that money he’s got._ Ryuu didn’t even want to think how much those paintings cost. _Who hangs fancy paintings above the shitter?_

_Whooops._ Ryuu _accidentally_ knocked a few bottles of whatever the hell all that was on his way to the drawers. He threw open the drawers with the delicacy of a barbarian, tossing the occasional comb and tweezers over his shoulder on his hunt. _Not like it matters if I find any._ It was his part to play; Chikara played the thief, Ryuu played the horny bastard thinking he’s about to have a good time. An easy part to play, when Chikara was the one dragging him around like his pet. _Nice, found the condoms anyway._ If he was _really_ lucky, he’d still get the chance to mess up those sheets.

He had a bit of sympathy for Iwaizumi, at least. There was no way they could go for the cameras there, if there were any; a thief getting rid of the cameras catching him in the act made sense, but going out of his way to check the washroom, too? Not happening. Oikawa and _‘Iwa-chan~’_ were stuck having someone watch them whenever they took a piss.

_Damn it, I gotta take a piss now that I’m thinkin’ about it._ Ah, well, if someone was sick enough to peep on someone draining the lizard, then they can gape in awe at Ryuu Junior, too.

Chikara tapped at the door. “What’s taking you so long, Kazushi?”

_He finished that quick._ “I gotta tinkle. You wanna help me aim?”

“You can go ahead and put the condoms back.”

“Hey, don’t be like that!”

“Ugh, just… wash your hands when you're done, _please.”_

“You got it, cap’n.”

Cameras in Chikara’s pockets, Ryuu Junior tucked away, hands squeaky clean - _Time for the fun part._

_Step 6: Fool around till we get caught._

With only one guard cued in on the plan, nobody else should have known about the two of them in the wrong suite - or about the missing cameras. If Chikara was right, it would play out one of two ways: one, nobody comes in, and Kazushi and Naoki make use of that fancy bed; two, the guard that planted the cameras realizes they're deactivated and crashes their party under some lame excuse about seeing them walk in minutes ago.

Ryuu had his hopes on the former.

Chikara ran his gloved finger across the edge of a dresser, “So, did you find- _Ah-”_

Ryuu shoved Chikara against the wall hard enough to rattle Oikawa’s ugly paintings and make the jewels and cameras in Chikara’s blazer pockets jingle, sharp teeth _finally_ biting the side of Chikara’s neck. “Ry- Kazu- _Mm.”_

There was a subtle taste of salt as his tongue glided along the smooth skin between his teeth. Ryuu had told Noya once that he wanted to kiss Chikara's neck for hours, but now that he was doing it, he knew hours wouldn't be enough to satisfy him, not with the way Chikawa was already gasping as he sucked at the skin. Ryuu could feel the vibrations of Chikara’s moan, a moan that grew deeper when Ryuu tugged a handful of hair to turn Chikara’s head to give him a better angle.

**[+]**

The thief was falling apart quickly, melting into an intoxicating mess as Ryuu scraped his teeth along the skin. His heart was pounding, his knees buckling, his sly hands grabbing everywhere from Ryuu’s ribs to his ass as Ryuu sucked to give him a fresh bruise, and another, and another. Ryuu had to wedge his leg between Chikara’s, to pin him to the wall by his hands on his hips to keep him up when he bit again, harder this time, relishing in the choked moan that failed to make it past his throat.

When Chikara wrapped his arms around Ryuu’s neck, leather-clad fingers scraping over the buzzcut and digging into the back of his shoulder, Ryuu let go of his hips to tear open the black blouse without hesitation, one button clattering to the floor and rolling away, no doubt forever lost in the abyss that existed under furniture where pens and single socks escape reality.

Ryuu tucked an arm behind Chikara to arch his back for him as Ryuu slowly sunk to his knees, painting a trail of teeth marks and red hickeys down his chest, down his abs, biting below the navel hard to get another one of those incredible, choked, high-pitched gasps-

**[-]**

“Calling for backup, we have some creeps in the boss’s apartment.”

The guy with his fingers pressed to his comm and dressed in a suit that screamed “secret service” more than “security guard” didn’t look all that intimidating; he was a bit shorter than Chikara, had freckles that gave him a babyface, and his hair reminded Ryuu a bit of Yaku - kinda short, kinda unkempt, and kinda dumb-looking.

But his eyes held an intensity that slithered down Ryuu’s spine.

Chikara’s eyes, on the other hand, were inquisitive, scanning the stranger up and down, the lens recording the suspiciously aware guard. “We’ll go peacefully,” Chikara stated as calmly as ever, like he didn't have his shirt torn open and a guy’s face two inches away from his stiffy. Crazier still was the subtlest quirk of his lips. _This is all a game to him, ain’t it? If this happened any other time, he'd be hiding for a week._

The guard wore some sort of mocking grin. “If you think I'm going to go easy on perverts like you because you're complying, you’re in for a surprise.”

Chikara buttoned his blazer, eyes never leaving his target even as he offered a hand to help Ryuu up. “You caught us, simple as that. Fighting back will only get us in more trouble.”

Ryuu wiped his slacks at the knees, though only the gods knew why- Was there even a single speck of dust in the place? Unnatural. “Oi, speak for yourself, I ain't gonna- _Hrk.”_

Chikara yanked his leash- _tie-_ with a sneer like Ryuu had never seen before. It was kinda hot, if it wasn't scary. Alright, maybe it was hot _because_ it was scary. “I don't care how attractive you are, Kazushi. I'm not ruining my record over a one night stand,” he hissed, just in time for the two new guards to come in and watch the song and dance.

“Grab them. Dateko’s already on the way.”

_Step 7: Enjoy the show._

Not-Yaku had a firm grip on one bicep, another of the three guards holding the other; Ryuu felt like some sort of bigshot with a hottie on each arm. Except instead of hotties, they were guards. And instead of bigshot, he was under arrest. And there were handcuffs before they discussed a safeword. Kinda similar, if he daydreamed hard enough.

It was a good thing the handcuffs were the common ones that could be slapped on their wrists with a series of clicks that were admittedly satisfying to his ears, because if they tried to slap on the fancy, custom magnetic ones over Chikara’s, the plan would have fallen on the messy side.

Ryuu weakly tried to pull his arms away from the guards’ grips, struggling for struggling’s sake. Chikara walked ahead quietly, falling into obedient step with the guard holding his arm. Ever the goody-two-shoes, licking his warden’s boots.

Ever the goody-two-shoes, stealing a glance behind his shoulder and giving the guards at Ryuu’s arms a polite nod.

Ever the goody-two-shoes, giving Ryuu a wink before the hall filled with smoke.

In the blink of an eye, the hallway was covered, thick fog doing Everfall a favor by hiding the atrocious wallpaper and gaudy chandeliers. Even the ugly mugs of the panicked guards were out of sight.

“What the hell?!”

“How…”

“What’s going on?!”

Even more obnoxious than the wallpaper was the fire alarm blaring- No, the damn sprinklers overhead were the worst, that kind of uncomfortable drizzle that sat right between “refreshing mist” and “romantic downpour.”

But that shitty feeling of wet clothing and ringing in his ears was definitely worth it to see their faces when the fog cleared not even a minute later, and the stud decked in all black was out of sight.

Dumb, Dumber, and Not-Yaku whipped their heads around frantically, like a dog trying to bite its own ass. “Where the hell did he go?!”

“I thought you were holding him!”

“I am- Huh?!” All three pairs of eyes fell on the guard’s hand that _should_ have been holding Chikara’s arm, but instead was wrapped around his buddy’s bicep.

“You, go that way! You, stay here with him,” Not-Yaku demanded, stomping a whole three feet away before a nice _thump_ caught his attention.

Dumb and Dumber flopped over so quickly that Ryuu nearly missed it. Which would have been a damn shame, cause it was as good of a sight as the bruises on the now-missing-Chikara’s neck. They made nice _‘hyurk’_ and _‘buwehh’_ noises, too, arms smacking into each other as they landed for a faceful of ugly carpet. _Hope Suga can snatch a copy of that security tape to watch in slow motion._

Ryuu couldn’t catch their confused shouts over his obnoxious guffaw, tears pooling in his eyes and damn near pissing himself when their gazes fell on the handcuffs strapping Dumb and Dumber together at the ankles.

“HE WAS ONLY GONE FOR A MINUTE!!” Not-Yaku was losing his gods-damn mind. “Watch him while I look for the runner,” he hissed before storming off, leaving his fellow guards struggling to get up while Ryuu pointed and laughed.

* * *

“Give the room a good sweep, Koganegawa.”

“A good sweep! Got it!”

“Don’t move stuff if you don’t need to, alright?!”

“Okay, sir!”

“But don’t ignore everything! You need to look under some things, too!”

“Y-Yes, sir!”

“You sure you got it?!”

“Of course!” The guy with far worse hair than Yaku saluted Futakuchi as another detective with a nasty scowl and a lack of eyebrows dragged him away.

Futakuchi sounded irritated as he muttered something about newbies, but he still had that sappy, fond look as he watched the backs of his fellow detectives retreating down the hall before turning to Iwaizumi. “So, this is the pervert they caught, huh?”

Ryuu flashed him a big grin, holding up his wrists to proudly show off his fancy, new handcuffs. “That’s me!”

Iwaizumi leaning against the wall beside him side-eyed him, a deep exhale through his nose the closest Ryuu was going to get to an exasperated sigh. He’d spent the past fifteen minutes trying, to pass the time. “Go easy on my cousin. He was at the wrong place at the wrong time, that’s all.”

“Feel free to lock him up for the ‘wrong place’ part,” Oikawa hmph’d, ignoring Iwazumi’s eyeroll.

“We’ll do whatever we feel is necessary,” Futakuchi snarled. _Snarled._ Shit, Ryuu had never seen him actually pissed off before.

“He let a thief into my room. I’m missing prized possessions because of him!”

_And you’re missing the shit spying on you thanks to him, too, asshat._

_“We’ll_ do whatever _we_ feel is necessary,” Futakuchi repeated before turning to leave. “Can’t stand him,” the detective grumbled while they were no doubt still in earshot.

“Where we going?”

“An extra _‘security’_ room down the way. Standard questioning since you’re a witness.” Futakuchi pat his back, leading him through the hall. “You got an ID, _Kazushi?”_

“Yeah, yeah, it’s right…” Ryuu fumbled through his blazer pocket with the handcuffs on, yeah, the struggle had to be why he couldn’t find anything. Futakuchi’s mocking smirk grew with every passing beat while Ryuu searched. “...My wallet’s gone.”

Futakuchi clicked his teeth, and damn it, why’d he have to be delighting at Ryuu’s suffering like that. _I thought we were friends, Kenji._ “Looks like Ghost’s old habits die hard.”

The door to the security looked like all the other doors on the hotel floors, which threw Ryuu for a loop when Futakuchi opened it to reveal the same old, boring interrogation room setup. “‘Security room’ my ass. They should be reporting crimes to us like any other business.” Futakuchi nudged Ryuu inside, locking the door before playing around with a control panel. “There. No one can hear us now.”

Different place, same room; interrogation rooms lacked originality. This one may have been smaller, and lacked the usual two-sided mirror, but Ryuu knew the drill. He took his seat on the suspect's side of the steel table. It was starting to feel homey. “What the hell are you doing here instead of Soren?”

“Ukai-san let us in on the plan, and I wanted to be here personally.” The feet of Futakuchi's chair screeched along the floor when he pulled it out to straddle it, the both of them wincing at the sound. “This way no one actually hunts for Ghost, and it's good hands-on training for our newbie. We kill some time in here, pretend I’m questioning you, then I’ll send you back. And before you ask, Ghost is fine. He's already back on the ship.”

_‘Course he is. My boyfriend's a professional._ Ryuu held his bound wrists over the table, jiggling the cuffs a bit to make the chains rattle. “You wanna get these off?”

Futakuchi gave him a smirk, and what the hell, why'd he have to be such a damn brat. “What's in it for me?”

“I can tell ya the best part of the security vids.”

“How good is it?”

“Better than the birdshit guy.”

“If you're lying, I'm putting you in holding.”

* * *

After twenty minutes of watching the assholes falling in slow motion (and fast forward, and in reverse, and with high-pitched voices), five minutes of the impossible task of recovering from a fit of giggles, and 28 minutes total in three skycars to throw off anyone in the chance they were being followed, Ryuu was finally walking back through the airlock and immediately pulled into Yachi’s office with Daichi, Suga, and Chikara.

Chikara leaning against the wall was particularly distracting, with that missing button and that hungry stare that didn’t stay behind with the atmosphere of the casino.

“So, what’s the word? How’d it all go?” Ryuu asked a bit distractedly. His gaze was glued to Chikara, admiring his handiwork on that gorgeous neck and that extra bit of exposed chest.

“Perfectly, as far as we know. Ennoshita got the cameras, and a few extra things.” Daichi gestured to- holy shit, that was a lot of jewelry on the desk. _How the hell did Chikara fit all those in his pockets?!_ “We’ll send these back to them after we settle this ordeal.”

“Stop pouting, Ennoshita,” Suga added with a laugh.

“M’not pouting.” He was definitely pouting.

“Speaking of Dateko,” Daichi cut in, raising an amused brow at the upset thief, “Detective Moniwa was cued in on the plan, so he’ll be making a remark about assuming they belong to Iwaizumi if he spots any leftover cameras. Whoever planted them will assume nobody’s onto us, and the missing cameras were just a result of a thief, like Iwaizumi wants.”

Ryuu shoved his hands in his empty pockets. _Gotta get my wallet back from Chikara. Again._ “I still don’t get why that’s a big deal.”

“Two reasons. First, the assumption was that it was someone in his security that planted them. If we’re right, it’s the one that walked in on us, because no one else should have known we were in there.” Chikara’s eyes locking onto his sent shivers down his spine. _He could be talkin’ about taxes with that look, an’ it would still rile me up._ “Second, if this _is_ something more than just the one guard, this gives us an advantage. Nekoma and Dateko can hopefully trace who these belong to without tipping them off, and we can get the jump on them.”

“And if Iwaizumi is right, this could lead us to whoever shot us,” Suga remarked.

Daichi reached for a necklace in the shining pile of diamonds, silver, and gold. “We’ll stay here for a few days to avoid suspicion, just in case. Then we head to Nekoma back on Soren and see what they can figure out.”

After a few other comments, the four left the office, but Ryuu only got as far as a few steps before a hand on his shoulder stopped him. “Meet me in the common room,” Chikara whispered in his ear, taking a nip at his lobe. “Keep the suit on.”

* * *

It was little wonder why Chikara asked him to meet at the common room. He didn’t say it, but Ryuu knew he was fond of looking through the window that scaled the wall, watching the stars as they glided by like Ryuu was doing now from his seat on the arm of the couch. What was more of a wonder was why it took him a few minutes instead of just walking there with him. “You know, being late… is… rude...”

“Suga-san, lock the door.” Chikara still had that stare boring into Ryuu, and something about his gait was reminiscent of a cat on the prowl. That, with the decorated neck, was a sight Ryuu was going to sear into his memory. “And turn off the cameras.”

“C-can he do that?” Ryuu gulped hard; Chikara was slowly getting closer as the door clicked, and the red lights on the cameras powered down at his command.

“He knows if he doesn’t, I’ll do it for him.” Chikara was biting his lip by the time he was a foot away, and if Ryuu had any doubts he was in for a hell of a night before, he was absolutely certain now.

Chikara yanked Ryuu up by his new, favorite leash, crumpling the tie in his tight grip. He held Ryuu an inch away, his intense, heavy-lidded gaze focused on Ryuu’s lips, licking his own before closing the distance roughly.

His kiss was _fierce,_ merciless teeth on Ryuu’s lips to open his mouth, one bare hand still strong on the tie and the other gripping his side tight enough to sting. Ryuu gave as good as he got, going for a handful of hair and meeting Chikara’s tongue with his own instantly.

**[+++]**

It only took a minute or two of tongues, teeth, and roaming hands to get Chikara panting into his mouth and fumbling with the knot of his tie. Chikara practically tore Ryuu’s blazer off, and actually tore at the button-up underneath as Ryuu had done back in the casino. Ryuu paid him the same favor, carelessly tossing blazers and belts to the floor. It took another minute of nails on skin and desperate grips all over before Chikara shoved him, sending him stumbling backward and over the arm of the couch. Chikara barely gave him a chance to back up and situate himself better before he crawled between his legs.

Ryuu was expecting to go back to all that kissing that was getting him worked up, but Chikara had other plans, and _shiiiit,_ did Ryuu tell him his weakness before, because the tongue on his earlobe was the surest way to get him hard as quickly as possible.

Chikara was cruel, so cruel, pinning Ryuu’s hand above his head and whispering breathy praises of _“You looked incredible tonight,”_ and _“You were the perfect partner in crime,”_ between kisses trailing up his ear. That was the best part of ear kisses, no doubt; hearing everything - his whispers, his deep breaths, his tongue gliding back down the shell, all in perfect detail that left Ryuu’s head spinning.

Chikara nipped his lobe gently before kissing lower, and lower, softer open-mouthed kisses than Ryuu was expecting down his jaw and neck. “N-not fair, I’m the one that’s supposed to be- _Ah-_ the one doin’ the neck kissing.” For all the teeth and nails he was in favor of a moment ago, the softer kisses felt all the more teasing, making him gasp as Chikara’s lips left a trail of damp kisses along his collarbone. “How much do you plan on kissin’?”

“It’s like I said before,” Chikara hummed, kissing his way over Ryuu’s shoulder to his tricep. “Every inch of you.”

Ryuu sucked in a sharp breath at the kisses curling around his arm to the inside of his elbow. He never would have guessed his arm would be sensitive, or that he’d be a complete and total sap for someone kissing his wrist, the inside of his palm, between his thumb and index finger… “That would get boring after a while, dontcha think?” he asked, his question thick in his heavy voice barely cutting through the haze of Chikara, Chikara, Chikara taking him over inch by inch.

“Perhaps.” Chikara turned their laced hands to kiss Ryuu’s knuckles between his fingers, making Ryuu’s stomach do somersaults. “We’ll find out the hard way.”

Chikara looked so _good_ above him; his bare shoulders painted by the light of the stars, his lips the same pale pink as the tip of his tongue teasing Ryuu’s fingertips, his nerdy hair falling out of place and becoming a mess just as Ryuu was… Ryuu could melt from just that heavy-lidded gaze locked onto his eyes as Chikara took Ryuu’s index finger into his mouth, but it was the tongue dancing on his fingertip that was sending jolts all the way down.

Chikara lowered himself again, lips straight to the ear he’d yet to kiss with more sweet whispers, but Ryuu couldn’t understand a word of it - couldn’t understand anything beyond the sound of the husky voice in his ear, or the toned back his fingers were desperately gripping, or the mouth kissing and sucking its way down his neck.

Chikara paid each open-mouthed kiss across Ryuu’s chest special care, every movement slow and deliberate, from the occasional glance up to meet Ryuu’s gaze to the pauses to gently nip; but it was the flick of tongue against his nipple that made Ryuu _whine._

He had that look in his eyes as he did getting “caught” at the casino - curiosity as heavy as his gaze, watching intently as he licked around Ryuu’s nipple with only the tip of his tongue. Whatever reaction he was looking for, he certainly got it when Ryuu let out a gasp and arched his back when Chikara took the nipple between his lips to suck gently.

Chikara’s smirk was as taunting as the slow circles he began to lick, the only mercy he offered in the flicks of his tongue. Ryuu’s plea of _‘Don’t tease’_ never escaped his lips, another whine taking its place when Chikara nipped softly. Chikara sucked again, and Ryuu was helpless, could only moan and clutch at Chikara’s back.

But Chikara was wicked beyond compare, kissing across Ryuu’s chest so slowly it was torturous to pay the other nipple the same favor. Any coherent thought left was lost in a haze before Chikara was satisfied with his sweet torture, his grin as sickeningly sweet as his final kiss on Ryuu’s nipple before his mouth continued its path down.

Ryuu could do nothing more than pant and run his fingers through Chikara’s hair as his lover went lower still, another trail of damp kisses down his abs before Chikara kissed his way across to his ribs-

“Ah- Ahaha,” Ryuu’s laugh was as languid as the rest of him felt at Chikara’s mercy, squirming weakly at the feather-light kisses on his side. “Tickles,” he mumbled as lazily as his laugh.

Chikara hummed in approval, a glimmer of delight dancing in his eyes as he kissed again, even softer this time.

“Thought this was s’posed to be sexy,” he argued between his faint chuckles and Chikara’s soft kisses.

“I love this.” Chikara pressed his lips to Ryuu’s ribs again, enough pressure this time to tickle less. “I love every part of your body. I love that this,” he gave another ticklish kiss, “makes you laugh. I love that this,” he moved up to nip at Ryuu’s nipple again, “gets you like this.” He reached between them to run a single finger down Ryuu’s erection over his pants, Ryuu arching his back and trying to lean more into the touch before Chikara pulled away. “I love it all.”

“I love you,” was all Ryuu could think to mutter back. Though it was a lot less ‘thinking’ and a lot more impulse.

He loved Chikara, loved the way he teased, loved the way he hummed appreciatively, loved the feel of his skin against his own when he leaned closer, and especially loved that smile before he closed the distance between their lips. His kiss was as sweet as his smile, and so was the second kiss he stole before he pulled away. “I love you too, Ryuunosuke.” Damn it, why’d he have to punctuate it with a nose nuzzle; it wasn’t fair to be adorable while driving Ryuu into a crazy lust. “Move up for me.”

Ryuu did as Chikara commanded, scooching up on the couch to rest his upper back on the arm of the couch. Chikara leaned his weight on him when he went in for another kiss, slow and deep and melting Ryuu just as the the kisses lavishing his torso did. Chikara reached between them to Ryuu’s pants hem, unbuttoning and unzipping. Ryuu groaned when Chikara broke the kiss, needing more, more, more, but Chikara had a different task in mind, pulling Ryuu’s slacks and boxers off to join the blazers and torn button-ups on the floor.

The way Chikara stopped to admire Ryuu’s bare form as he did the first time they made love set both their hearts racing; Chikara had this wide-eyed wonder as he scanned his body with hands and eyes alike, something fond in the midst of his lust that Ryuu was just as weak to as the fingertips caressing all the right places as they trailed down.

“You're so beautiful, Ryuunosuke,” Chikara whispered breathlessly as he spread Ryuu’s thighs. “So beautiful.” He lifted Ryuu’s leg up, holding his ankle and pressing his lips to it delicately, then lower, lower, kissing his way to Ryuu’s knee. Clever hands were all over his legs, caressing his calf, massaging his thigh, holding Ryuu’s leg in place over his shoulder as he lowered himself to kiss the side of his knee.

The kisses as Chikara made his way up Ryuu’s thigh slowly, so damn slowly, weren't as taunting the sounds he made each time he pressed his lips to Ryuu’s skin. His hums turned to sighs, his sighs to soft moans as he neared closer and closer to Ryuu’s cock. He was starting to think Chikara enjoyed being between his thighs more than Ryuu did, before Chikara decided to be a monster, kissing up and away from Ryuu’s cock, sucking and biting up his thigh- “Chikara, please,” Ryuu whined, his dick twitching its own desperate plea.

Chikara placed a final, slow kiss to the inside of Ryuu’s thigh before he got up, much to Ryuu’s groaning dismay. “Where-”

“I'm not going anywhere,” he reassured Ryuu softly as he dug through the pile of clothes by the couch.

Ryuu couldn't take it anymore, reaching down to his aching cock, the relief overwhelming in his own touch enough to make him moan. He squeezed as he stroked down, the relief of it almost too much as he went up, and back down. Up, and back down-

Chikara watched him as if the sight was supernatural, eyes as wide as they could manage with his heavy lids and lips parted in wonder. He knelt back between Ryuu’s thighs, grabbing Ryuu’s leg gently to place it back over his shoulder. “Go slower.”

Ryuu groaned in defiance, “But-”

“Do you want me, Ryuu?”

Ryuu nodded his head, biting his lip as another stroke was enough to make his leg over Chikara’s shoulder shake.

“Then go _slower._ You can’t come yet.” Chikara uncapped the bottle Ryuu never noticed in his hand, and Ryuu followed his command, stroking painfully slowly as he watched Chikara pour lube into his palm. Chikara cupped his hands and brought the to his lips, blowing to warm the lube as his hungry gaze followed Ryuu’s hand.

Soon Chikara’s slicked fingers brushed the inside of Ryuu’s thigh as they made their way below Ryuu’s balls. Chikara pushed at the leg over his shoulder till Ryuu’s knee met his chest. “Are you ready?”

When nodded his head, moaning in response when Chikara teased Ryuu’s asshole with his fingertip. _“Slow,_ Ryuu.”

He slowed his stroke back down with another strained plea of _“Please,”_ rewarded with Chikara’s finger slipping inside.

His moan was loud enough to get his fuzzy thoughts wondering if the room was soundproof. A twisted part of him hoped it wasn't, hoped everyone would hear Chikara pleasing him, and him alone. He needed to feel more, wanted it to burn. “More-”

“But I just-”

_“More,_ Chikara, gods, I need more-”

Chikara’s sharp inhale, his briefly stunned silence that Ryuu was _demanding_ had him wondering what it would be like to make Chikara the one begging at his touch. But not tonight, not when Chikara did as he was told and pushed another finger inside carefully.

The two fingers pumping in and out to match the pace of his strokes were incredible, the burn of his impatience just as he wanted, but they weren't enough, weren't deep enough, weren't hitting the right spot. “Fuck me, Chikara.”

Ryuu could faintly see the twitch in Chikara’s slacks beyond his hand. “You’re not ready.”

“Give me _this,”_ he extended reach enough to brush the back of his fingers over Chikara’s covered erection, and Chikara’s groan was as teasing as his touch.

_“Ah,_ wait, you're not-”

“Fuck me, Chikara, fuck me, fuck me, give me your-”

Chikara leaned down to kiss him quickly, his only warning a growl before his lips roughly met Ryuu’s. Chikara spread his fingers to stretch him, biting Ryuu’s lip at the same time to make Ryuu moan into his mouth. “I’ll fuck you when you’re ready,” he groaned against Ryuu’s lips, biting again to part his lips and dip his tongue in.

Ryuu unapologetically tugged his hair at their rough kiss, letting go of his cock to struggle with the zipper to Chikara’s pants until Chikara pulled away. Chikara got up to pull his pants off, giving Ryuu a view of his cock tauntingly out of reach before he knelt to shuffle through the clothes again for the condoms.

“Are those the-”

Chikara held up the pack of condoms Ryuu found in Iwaizumi’s bathroom with a smirk. “I’m a dirty thief, remember?”

“Put ‘em on already, _Ghost.”_

“Don’t call me that,” Chikara replied, though with the way his smirk grew, Ryuu had to wonder if that might be a guilty pleasure for him to try. Another time - he didn’t dare risk Chikara stopping now, not when he needed him so badly it hurt.

Chikara rolled the condom on after he knelt between Ryuu’s legs again, pouring a generous amount of lube and then some more. Ryuu was already arching his back at the feel of Chikara pressing his tip against his ass.

“Are you rea-”

“Damn it, Chikara, give it to me already.”

“Needy.” Chikara teased, rubbing his cock against the hole to make Ryuu whine. “Keep touching yourself.”

“Enjoying the show?” Ryuu retorted huskily, bringing his hand back to his cock.

“I could watch you for hours.” Chikara paused, taking a deep breath as he centered his cock against Ryuu’s entrance again. “Here goes,” he whispered, more to himself, and Ryuu shared that same final-moment nervousness before Chikara pushed in.

Ryuu arched his back as Chikara pushed in slowly, inch by inch, stretching him and filling him and _gods,_ the wait was worth it. Chikara paused when he was completely in, panting with an almost exasperated _‘Ah’_ between each breath. He couldn’t have pulled out any more than an inch before he pushed back in, a teasing push that was driving them both nuts, if their matching gasps were anything to judge by.

With his hands gripping Ryuu’s waist, he pulled out again, more this time, and thrust back in slowly, then again, and again, matching Ryuu’s slow strokes of his cock. It was so good, too good, Chikara filling him and thrusting in him and hitting just the right spot again and again, Chikara watching Ryuu jerk himself off like he was a damn miracle.

Chikara’s gasps and sighs became words bit by bit, a breathless chant of _Ryuu, You feel so good, Ryuu, I love you, Ryuu, Ryuu, Ryuu,_ each as satisfying as the slow thrusts that were pulling him closer, closer, closer, curling his toes on the foot slung over Chikara’s shoulder.

Ryuu wanted this for hours, for days, to do nothing more than this, than feeling, hearing, seeing nothing but Chikara, but his body could only hold for so long, trembling as Chikara pushed-

“Wait, wait,” Chikara panted, halting his thrusts and grabbing Ryuu’s wrist to pull his hand away. “Not yet. I want to keep making love to you.”

“Fuuuck, Chikara,” Ryuu whined in protest, but he didn’t fight it, keeping his hand limp in Chikara’s. He closed his eyes; Chikara was too good to look at, the sight of him panting and sweating and his hair falling out of place enough to drive him over the edge. While he inhaled deeply, the tension in his chest and thighs faded away with each breath before Chikara pushed in again.

Chikara leaned his weight against him, his skin hot against Ryuu’s, and tucking his arms under Ryuu to hold him tightly as he thrust. He thrust just a little faster than before, just a little harder than before, enough to make Ryuu beg for more. But he was a damn tease through and through, whispers of “No, not yet,” in Ryuu’s ear and kissing Ryuu’s ear, his neck, his shoulder, sucking and biting and gasping at each thrust.

Ryuu felt himself coming closer again, arching his back and his whines growing into deep moans with every push of Chikara’s hips until he trembled again.

“Not yet, not yet,” Chikara panted in his ear, stopping again, and fuck, Ryuu choked on a sob as he clutched Chikara’s back.

“I need it-”

“Just a little more, please.” Chikara pressed his forehead to Ryuu’s, stealing a quick peck on his lips between breaths. “A little more.”

He wanted more, but gods, he wasn’t sure how much more waiting he could take. “A little more,” he groaned, “one more.”

“Thank you, Ryuunosuke.” Chikara spent another minute waiting, more quick, sweet kisses between deep breaths until he pulled out completely. “Turn around.”

“But I wanna see ya.”

“It’ll feel better for you.”

Ryuu struggled to turn over, sitting up on his knees and leaning over the arm of the couch. It was a little cozy, at least, resting his arms and using them as a pillow. Chikara let out a satisfied sigh as he ran his hands down Ryuu’s back, massaging with the heels of his palms as he ran them back up, and then back down, “I’ve wanted this for so long, Ryuu.” He caressed his fingers over Ryuu’s ass, ever the tease. “I touched myself every night, thinking about you. In every way. But _this,”_ he squeezed, making Ryuu moan against the couch, “was my favorite.” He kneaded at Ryuu’s ass, spreading his cheeks with his thumbs. “Are you ready?”

“You _know_ I am,” Ryuu whined.

Chikara pushed in, and _shit,_ he was right; he hit Ryuu’s prostate with perfect ease, and then again, and again, building up a faster pace than before, and harder this time, Ryuu’s moans loud enough to echo off of the walls. Chikara punctuated each thrust with his own moans, ragged and different pitches every time as he fell apart. Chikara leaned his warm chest against Ryuu’s back to leave clumsy kisses on the back of his neck.

Each thrust was driving Ryuu insane, and when Chikara reached around to stroke his dick, he had to bite the couch to keep from screaming. Chikara was all over, filling him, tearing him apart, squeezing him, warming him, kissing him, and Ryuu was beautifully overwhelmed from all of it. He reached behind to grab Chikara’s hair, and Chikara moaned deeply, thrusting _harder,_ and Ryuu couldn’t take much more, his whole body trembling as Chikara thrust and stroked.

Chikara bit Ryuu’s shoulder hard, a clumsy thrust telling Ryuu he was near, and that was all he could take. He practically screamed as Chikara pushed into him again and his body finally let go. With another euphoric stroke, every inch of his body trembled as Chikara thrust in at an easier pace and pumped at the same, his orgasm matching the pulses of Chikara’s as they rode out the last of it together.

**[---]**

Ryuu must have passed out while Chikara cleaned up, ‘cause he didn’t remember anything until he was laying on his side and Chikara snuggled up behind him. It was a tight squeeze on the couch, but Chikara’s bare body against his felt like a perfect fit.

Chikara wrapped his arm around him, pressing lazy kisses to his shoulder while they looked out to the stars. “I had a good night tonight. Not just the sex, I mean. All of it. I had a lot of fun at the casino.” The gentle brush of his fingertips across Ryuu’s stomach left a trail of goosebumps, and the cool cuff that followed smoothed them away. “Especially at the bar.”

Ryuu wrapped his hand around Chikara’s, bringing it up to his lips to kiss his knuckle. “We were shitty flirts.”

Chikara’s soft laugh tickled his nape. “We were. That made it more fun.”

“Yeah, it did.” He kissed the heel of Chikara’s thumb before he felt a yawn coming, using Chikara’s palm to cover it.

“Wow, the one time you cover your mouth,” Chikara remarked with another tired chuckle.

“I’m learnin’ manners. All your fault.”

“That was the opposite of polite.”

“You love me for it.”

Chikara hummed in agreement. “I certainly love you, but I doubt it’s for that.”

Ryuu rested their hands against his chest. “Well, I love you cause you wear me the hell out. I’m knocking out right here.”

Chikara gave his shoulder another tired kiss before resting his chin on it to watch the stars. “Good night, Ryuu.”

“Good night, loverboy.”

* * *

Their flight to Nekoma three days later had a chaotic surprise in store for them, a crackle over the intercoms before a disguised voiced flooded every part of the ship, and each of Suga’s holographic terminals displayed the image of a spinning crown.

“Sawamura Daichi, we know your crime.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got the Tanaka tsumtsum recently, and sent a pic to a friend, who responded with "Looks like an angry hamster I used to have." And that was how Yachi's angry hamster toy was born.


	15. actions and consequences

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daichi would do anything for them.
> 
> He had done anything for them.
> 
> And Asahi could never know.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **[07/14/17: Part 1 of 3 for final update!]** Happy anniversary of chapter 1!! 
> 
> Word count: 14,435
> 
> So the song for this chapter is ["Blood on My Name" by The Brothers Bright](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOSU_Pw7vO4), but I sorta made [an entire playlist for this chapter](https://open.spotify.com/user/melithulhu/playlist/0fRuxAVyOU5fIwhfB5IhZn) cause I got excited. Oops.

Daichi’s secret should have been millions of miles away, buried under enough lies and paperwork alibis that not even the infamous  _ Ghost  _ could uncover it. 

A part of him knew he couldn’t escape his demons forever, a part he buried as deeply as his secret. But he felt it with every quick jerk of another, with every anxious “Hey, Captain,” over the intercom; one day, Yachi’s flinch or Hinata’s call would be followed by “Ukai-san needs a word with you, he says it’s urgent,” and… that would be it. That would be it for him.

But he could keep flying, keep fighting until that happened. It was the only way to shake the demons off. He had to believe he could outfly them forever. He couldn’t beat them if he didn’t believe.

Willpower was the only part of the battle he could control.

“Daichi.” The mattress sank beside him, Suga’s voice a sweet relief in his ear. A smooth hand brushed against his as it grabbed the datapad from his hand, soft hair tickled his forehead, the faintest whir of steel joints were soothing white noise as Suga curled into his side. “No work in bed.” 

“I’m behind on my reports, Suga.” The rest of the team was lucky. The mission to save Tanaka’s old teammates was done for them, nothing to concern themselves with any longer. Ennoshita and Tanaka even got a little “vacation” trip to a casino. But while everyone else relaxed, Daichi was stuck reading reports on missions weeks old. The kidnapper scientists, the slave ring supporting them - the source of it all, he learned from the datapad that night, came down to Connected experiments, rich couples unsatisfied with the hand fate had dealt them and paying with the lives of others when the money in their pockets wasn’t enough.

“They can wait until your headache is gone.” Asahi’s presence was so subtle for a man of his size that Daichi hadn’t noticed him walk into the room. To anyone that knew Asahi past the ridiculous, “wild” look he insisted on (that ultimately served no purpose other than scaring little kids), Asahi carried a calm ambiance with him - when he wasn’t quivering over something petty like spiders, anyway. Empathetic and always listening, movements as gentle as an afternoon’s waves lapping over feet, voice rich and thick as honey to soothe all ails away, and warm eyes that reminded Daichi of summer mornings back home - when the sun shined through their window just right, memories of cotton sheets, of dust bunnies dancing in the rays, of quiet hours lazing together in a tangle of limbs.

To think, the entire star system associated the name “Azumane Asahi” with “mass murderer”. 

Daichi squeezed his eyes shut, tilting his head to lean into the touch as Asahi ran his fingers through Daichi’s hair far too gently. “I never said I have a headache.”

“You know you can’t hide it from us, Daichi.” Suga lightly poked at the wrinkle between his brow. “I vote that we take a nap.” 

“I can’t waste time sleeping,” Daichi mumbled back, even though he was screaming  _ Gods, yes _ inside. The last thing he wanted was to keep reading that hellish report.

“I’m with Suga.”

“Traitor.”

“I call big spoon!” Suga was already nudging him to his side and drapping his arm over him before he could argue more. 

Asahi laid down to face him, hand still running through his hair, fingertips cool against his scalp. Daichi had always loved the quiet hours spent like this, Asahi in his arms, Asahi watching him fondly with eyes as warm as those summer mornings. Now Suga was holding him, too, tangible in a way that they had only dared to dream before. A miracle that completed them. 

Laying as they did now, arms wrapped around him from each side, soft breaths and sweet whispers soothing the pain throbbing against his temples, Daichi could understand doing anything for love. Couldn’t excuse the nonsense on the datapad, couldn’t excuse the couples that tortured others just to feel each other’s heartbeats.

But he could understand doing anything for his husbands. To keep them safe. To keep them sane.

Asahi smiled at him, a smile no longer hollow, no longer haunted by demons that woke him in the middle of the night with choked sobs. A genuine smile Daichi would never take for granted again, a smile Suga could enjoy to the fullest now, too.

Daichi would do anything for them.

He  _ had _ done anything for them.

And Asahi could never know.

A part of him knew he couldn’t escape his demons forever. A part of him that whispered to him whenever something moved too quickly out of the corner of his eye, that whispered to him whenever Shimizu told him he had a call, that whispered whenever he scrubbed his hands in a fruitless effort to wash the red away.

And that part of him screamed when Suga jolted up. “Daichi, something’s wrong!”

The crackle over the intercom was foreign to the ship, unfamiliar and scratching Daichi’s eardrums. The holographic crown slowly spinning over the intercom was too bright to his pained eyes. And worst of all was the static voice, its words echoing across the ship and crushing his heart like a vice.

“Sawamura Daichi, we know your crime.”

His body moved on its own, he didn’t remember getting up, or sprinting to the intercom, or slamming the bottom of his fist against it in a futile attempt to silence it. “Suga, where’s it coming from?!” 

“I need time to trace-”

The voice was as taunting as the concern in Asahi’s wide eyes, the crown of teal light mocking Daichi with its casual twirl. “If you want to keep your crime a secret, you will follow our orders.”

_ No, please, let me run a little longer. _ He glanced over at Suga, desperate for some sort of answers, anything at all. Suga was frozen solid, eyes eerily unblinking and out of focus as he concentrated all his processes on tracking the voice.

Asahi was rubbing Suga’s back gently, but his gaze was still cast on the captain, tearing Daichi apart with his concern that he didn’t deserve. “Daichi… What’s going on?” 

_ I paid a price to protect you, and fate is coming to collect the debt.  _

Clear headedness and rationale were the only keys he had to get out of this, but just this once, he wished he could throw his calm out the airlock. Inhaling through his nose, he closed his eyes, concentrating on the breath filling his lungs. Inhale, exhale, waiting for everything around him to stop spinning along with the crown. “What is this about?”

The synthetic tone to the voice on the intercom wasn’t subtle like Suga’s. It was overlayed, an obnoxious disguise, though he couldn’t shake that he’d heard the unyielding tone before. “We have a job for y-”

The sudden cutoff was a lurch in Daichi’s gut, testing the little composure he was struggling to gather. “Suga? What happened?”

Suga’s shoulders slumped as he came to, eyes blinking one at a time as they came into focus. “We were cut off on our end! From the engineering deck!”

Daichi ran out as fast as his body would allow, ran as far from Asahi’s torturous concern before he crumbled beneath it. 

The hall outside of his quarters was a chaos of teammates in different states of panic and disarray, whispers and shouts alike to each other as they watched the suddenly silent intercoms curiously - but it was all muffled to him, blurs of faces. He could see nothing beyond the staircase, could focus on nothing but taking cautious steps towards it and keeping his voice level. “Who’s in engineering?” 

“Kageyama won’t answer his comm!” Hinata yelled from the staircase above, wisps of orange hair bouncing as he jumped down the stairs two at a time.

_ What the hell are you doing, Kageyama?! _ “I’ll go talk to him.”

If he didn’t answer the disguised voice’s commands…  _ Gods, don’t let it be too late. _

Ennoshita followed Daichi’s hurried footsteps - shirtless, with enough bite marks on his shoulder to make Daichi absently wonder if Tanaka was teething - with an equally shirtless Tanaka close behind. “Daichi-san, it’s Seijou,” he whispered quietly enough for it to catch Daichi’s ear alone.

The steel steps rattled softly under their socked feet. “How do you know?”

“Yahaba called me like that before.”

“So it’s him?”

“No. The voice is different.”

Daichi glanced at Ennoshita from the corner of his eye. “Could they be bluffing?”

“No.” The engineering deck was eerily silent, unwelcoming to their voices, the echo back mimicking, mocking. “They wouldn’t gamble on a bluff. Not when they have the entire star system to blackmail.”

He felt the tightness in his throat, the pit in his chest - his demons were strangling him, tearing at his ribcage and clutching his heart in their victorious grasp. 

They halted before the closed door to the engine room, the console beside it as unwelcoming as the silence. The button to open flickered red, red, red, every flash reminiscent of the laser on his old sniper rifle, and this time Daichi was its target. “Suga, open the door.”

“He’s locked it on his end. He’s messing with the console physically,” Suga responded through the comm. “I’ll need time to unlock it.”

Tanaka wasn’t one for patience. “Oi, Kageyama!” He knocked on the window beside the door with the flat of his fist, the slamming nearly as loudly as his shouts. “Stop dicking around! Open up!”

Kageyama said nothing, didn’t even spare them a glance as he continued to fiddle with the panel, fighting with Suga for control.

“Kageyama, please…” Wisps of Daichi’s desperation laced his voice. “Kageyama, I need you to open communication with them again,  _ please-” _

Kageyama kept at his task, a twist to his frown as he fought with it. “No.”

“Kageyama-”

_ “No!” _

Daichi, Ennoshita, and Tanaka flinched back, and flinched again when Kageyama jabbed his screwdriver into the panel. “We can’t work with them, Sawamura-san!”

“Work with  _ who, _ Kageyama?” Ennoshita asked sternly, something chilling about the edge of his voice.

Daichi spoke before he thought, confusion taking control of his mouth. “But you just told me-  _ Oh.”  _

“‘Oh’ is right.” Ennoshita folded his arms as he fixed Kageyama a terrifying look that could rival Daichi’s. “Kageyama, do you have something to tell us?”

Kageyama looked- he looked  _ horrified,  _ and for a moment, Daichi forgot his own fears. He had the feeling it wasn’t Ennoshita’s glare that terrified him, but Ennoshita’s words. 

Suga muttered something or other, and the door slid open, revealing Kageyama standing there, eyes wide and flickering between the three of them. “I didn’t- I stopped telling them things! I didn’t have a choice, I had to-”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa.” Tanaka yanked Kageyama up close, giving him one of the most genuine, dirty glares Daichi had ever seen on him from a few inches away. “You’re tellin’ me  _ you’re  _ the asshole that’s been spying on us?!”

Kageyama fell limp in Tanaka’s grasp, head bowed, eyes cast to the ground. Defeated. Almost pitiful. Daichi felt... guilty. Kageyama had just given him every reason to toss him out of the airlock, and yet… “I don’t care who’s the spy right now. Kageyama, I need you to open the comm to Seijou again,” Daichi stated calmly. 

“I… I don’t want them to get me for betraying...” Kageyama raised his head, looking at Daichi with wide eyes that hurt almost as much as Asahi’s. “I want to stay here!” 

Tanaka let go of his shirt, still snarling, but the edge of his hiss softened. “Prove it. Do what Daichi-san says.”

Kageyama looked between the three of them before he nodded numbly, turning back to the engine room and towards the console. “I’m directing it to the command center.”

* * *

The trip up the single flight of stairs felt painfully slow, and Daichi could barely keep his mind from reeling.  _ What if I’m too late, What if they’re too pissed off now, What do they want?  _ He tried to focus on anything else - on the scratches scrawling down Tanaka’s back, on the way Ennoshita stuck by the wall to make his footsteps silent, on the hand Tanaka kept on Kageyama’s back as he pushed him up the stairs. 

He focused on how Kageyama carried himself like a chastised dog with his tail tucked between his legs. “Tanaka, go easy on him.” He glanced from the thief who clung to his instincts, down to his hands as stained as his buried records.  _ We all have our demons. _

The team had gathered around the command center table - yawns and sleepy whispers between some, louder remarks by others, and Hinata questioning Tanaka about Kageyama that all fell deaf to Daichi’s ears when he locked eyes with Suga.

Suga cast his gaze down and away; the shame weighed heavy on his shoulders, too, and it was all Daichi’s fault. It was always left unspoken, but Suga knew. There was no keeping a secret from an AI. 

Suga knew, and neither had spoken a word of it to Asahi.

Now Daichi was on trial, the head of the table no better than a defendant’s chair as all eyes fell on him. And the judge had arrived, the twirling, holographic crown sprouting from the center of the table and calling for the session to begin. “Realizing the predicament you’re in now?”

Tanaka tugged Kageyama’s collar as he stepped towards the captain. “Daichi-san, we’re not really gonna listen-”

“Ryuu.” Ennoshita rested his hand on Tanaka’s forearm, fixing him with a look as firm and understanding as his tone. “Let Daichi-san speak.”

Tanaka jerked his arm away. “Daichi-san, tell these assholes we’re not doin’ their dirty work! Whatever they’ve got on you ain’t worth it!”

Ennoshita grabbed Tanaka’s bare shoulder. “Ryuu, stop-”

Tanaka didn’t pull away this time, but he still refused to listen. “Daichi-san, tell ‘em!” 

Tanaka’s shout was followed by a thick silence only Daichi could fill, a silence as heavy as the weighted gaze of the dozens of eyes watching, waiting, expecting.

“Whatever they demand is my business alone,” he cut through the dense silence, his voice firm, but his gaze falling to the table.

Asahi’s trepidation was a vice crushing Daichi’s chest. “Daichi… What did you do?”

The disguised voice was irritatingly familiar, steady and stern, but not… cold. Neither inviting nor menacing. “I’ll give you the chance to tell your team about President Yamaoka’s fate yourself.”

The judge stated his crime, and the jury awaited his testimony. With the dozen stares boring into him, he no longer sitting in the defendant’s chair, but instead climbing the rickety wooden steps to the hangman’s noose.

Yachi’s soft voice that carried through the room. “B-but Yamaoka, he was-”

“Assassinated,” Tsukishima finished for her.

Daichi looked down at his hands flat on the table. “That’s right.”

His demons had caught up with him, and they wore the face of an unarmed man at the end of his scope. 

No amount of lies could take back what he had done, and the jurors watching him were no strangers - they were his team. They deserved the truth, not some song and dance. “Dateko shut down his slave trade ring, - at least, they thought they did, - but I…” He struggled to find the right words, the hundreds of excuses he’d given himself over the years all sounding terribly pitiful at the thought of speaking them out loud.  _ Couldn’t risk he’d do it again? No, Shiratorizawa and Dateko would have kept close tabs on him. Wanted to punish him for his crimes? Gods, yes, but I’m a soldier, not some comic vigilante. Was hired to keep a close eye on him and do whatever it took to keep him in line? Yes, but the moment I saw the chance... _

All justifications were petty in the grand scheme of it all. He had one reason that stood above them all, a selfish motive he didn’t dare speak aloud. “I shot him. There’s nothing I can say to excuse it.”

From the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Asahi, and Asahi was… cold. Unmoving, unreadable, chilling Daichi through flesh and bone until he was numb with it.

“Who cares? People are dead because of him. Justice is justice,” Nishinoya stated as if he was casually commenting about the weather. It’s cloudy today, looks like it could rain, Daichi killed an unarmed man, maybe a little thunder in the evening. 

“It’s not that simple.”  _ Life isn’t black and white, Nishinoya.  _

Nishinoya’s frown foretold of a thunderstorm after all, his eyes as fierce and piercing as lightning, the growl in his voice thunder in the distance, flashes threatening on the horizon. “Why not?! It’s his fault Asahi-san has to hide now! He-”

_ “Don’t _ bring Asahi into this,” Daichi snapped back, a rumble in his own voice. What was a thunderstorm to an earthquake? “We’ll discuss this after I hear Seijou’s demands.”

“You’re really going to listen to their crap, Daichi-san?! You don’t need to-”

_ “Enough!” _ Daichi slammed his palms on the table, the tremor of the steel beneath his fingers sending a wave of guilt washing over him when a few of the others flinched. “Enough,” he said again, tamer this time. This was his burden to bear, his secret to fear, no one else’s. “This is for me to deal with. You’re all free to listen or leave, but no one is stopping me.” 

Nobody moved, - for better or worse, Daichi knew not, - but Nishinoya continued to glare, as sharp as the crease on the bridge of his nose.

“We’re in agreement that you’ll hear our demands?” the voice of the crown asked calmly, nonchalantly toying with Daichi’s fate. 

Daichi closed his eyes, unable to bear the light of the crown any further. In all the chaos, the mere thought of his headache was forgotten, but now the holographic jewels glittering were icepicks piercing his temple. “I don’t have much choice.”

Perhaps it was just Daichi finally losing his mind, but it seemed like the crown dimmed at its declaration, a sorrow in its order. “The Grand King’s been abducted, and you’re going to rescue him.”

_ Definitely losing my mind. _ Though judging by the chorus of  _ Huh’s, What’s, _ and Tanaka’s  _ What the hell?, _ maybe they were all collectively losing their minds. The Grand King was a symbol, not- not some mortal man, certainly not one that needed saving, right? It had only made sense that Seijou had a leader, but it was hard to imagine a  _ person,  _ a regular guy sitting in a regular chair on a regular ship. 

Which lead to an even greater mystery than urban legends in peril. “Why me?”

“You have the resources and influences.”

“Such as?”

“We know about the Connected enhancements Nekoma gave you. We need that amplified to find him.”

“You mean to track him across  _ space?” _ Ennoshita cut in with a slight shiver, rubbing his arm. Tanaka came up behind Ennoshita, arms wrapping around his bare torso to still both their shivering. Daichi couldn’t deny his envy; the source of the chill raising goosebumps along his skin was not about to comfort him with his warm embrace. “I don’t think that’s possible,” Ennoshita continued, resting his hands on the forearms wrapped around him. “Our enhancements focus more on precision, and even then, it only reaches about 80 yards. Nevermind across a system.”

The crown’s voice was as cold as Asahi’s stare. “I’m not asking for excuses. Get it done.”

It was funny, in retrospect. Seijou could demand miracles by dangling the right thread before their target’s eyes. Maybe if Daichi had known Seijou was real three years ago, he could have bought the right secret to make Yamaoka turn himself in quietly. Tell the galaxy he was going on vacation, and then spend his life behind bars in secrecy so that Cassardis and the innocents in his administration wouldn’t suffer for the deeds he needed to repent for. Then Daichi wouldn’t be in this mess, on the other end of Seijou’s threats. “You want me to get Nekoma to make this impossible chip, then hand it to whichever one of you is Connected to-”

“Not one of us. One of you.”

“What do you mean?!” They already had a tremendous amount of Connected on the ship, himself included. The chance of there being more was unlikely, especially any that were involved with Sei-

“No!” Kageyama stepped back, putting whatever distance he could manage between himself and the hologram before Tanaka snatched his wrist. “I’m not helping you anymore, Iwaizumi-san!”

_ Iwaizumi?! _

“That’s right. He’s not,” Suga continued for him with certainty. “I’ve recorded this entire conversation, and I can do a voice analysis to confirm that it’s you. If you don’t want us to tell Shiratorizawa everything, you’ll leave us alone.  _ All _ of us.”

Suga’s threat should have had him quaking in his expensive loafers; what good was a keeper of secrets if he couldn’t keep his own? And yet... “No.” No pause to think, no break to consider, no hesitation to speak of. “You will do whatever you can to find him. Then, you will do whatever you can to get him back in one piece. If you refuse, or if you tell anyone about our identities,” he continued with a calm that was straining Daichi’s own. “I’ll tell Cassardis that Azumane Asahi is alive and well.”

_ “NO!” _ If the public knew his execution was fake... “Leave him  _ out of this!” _

“You’d do anything to protect your husband, wouldn’t you? So would I,” Iwaizumi continued. It was all getting more and more dizzying; the filter masking Iwaizumi's voice was all the more jarring as Daichi tried and failed to remember how he sounded without it, and the shouts and murmurs alike around the table made it that much harder to concentrate. He could hardly blame them; he'd also be shocked to hear the Grand King was a mortal man they'd dealt with just a few days ago if he wasn't dull with all the surprises by now. The ship could melt beneath his feet and he'd think nothing of it. “Do we have a deal?”

_ ‘Do we have a deal?’ _ That was no  _ deal. _ Daichi would consider it a surrender instead, but it was hardly a fight to begin with. It was a  _ slaughter, _ with Daichi’s fate - and Asahi’s now, too - left dying on the battlefield. “Yes. Give me time to talk to my team before we go over the details.”

“You have one hour.”

The crown was gone as quickly as it came. 

If only the hell it left behind would follow its example. 

Nishinoya was shouting something about  _ ‘So what?’ _ again, Ennoshita was shielding Kageyama from Hinata’s oblivious questions, Tanaka was huffing something or other as he tugged Kageyama’s collar again, the rest of the team whispered amongst themselves-

And Suga was calling after Asahi, grabbing his wrist before he could storm away. “Asahi, please, listen-”

“You  _ knew _ about this!” Asahi’s shout cut through the chaos of the command center, the rest falling silent as all heads turned. 

Daichi had always admired how Asahi would get swept up in his emotions without reservation. Didn’t envy it - not in times of sorrow, not when fear lingered at their door while Yamaoka was alive. But he loved that about him, loved it in moments of victory, loved it in serene mornings, loved it in passionate nights. Asahi poured his heart into every moment, every feeling. 

But right now, he resented the way Asahi’s passion twisted his frown, furrowed his brow, jerked his hand from Suga’s grasp. “You kept this from me! Both of you!” 

Suga looked away, letting his silence answer for him. 

Asahi turned his furious gaze to Daichi. Daichi had liked to tease Asahi about trying to look like a ‘tough guy’; one look at his eyes and anyone could see he was a big softie. But this… There was nothing soft in his eyes now. There was nothing soft about his clenched teeth, nothing soft in the way he glared hard at Daichi, nothing soft in how he stormed toward the staircase.

“Asahi-san, come back-”

“Nishinoya.” Daichi placed his hand on Nishinoya’s shoulder, firm enough to stop him before he could chase after Asahi. “Leave him be. You know following him now would make it worse.” 

“What the hell is his problem, Daichi-san?!” At least Nishinoya wasn’t as furious; maybe because it wasn’t him that Asahi was turning away from this time. “What the hell is  _ your _ problem? You killed some asshole, so what? He deserved it! If they’d tried him in court, he’d be-”

“He’d have been fairly sentenced.”

“I don’t get it,” Tanaka groaned, rubbing the hand not tightly wrapped in Kageyama’s shirt over his head. “We shoot down jackasses all the time. It’s part of the job.”

“We shoot armed men that are shooting at us, and we avoiding killing them if we can. We don’t…”  _ We don’t shoot unarmed men standing in front of a crowd and cameras, for all of the galaxy to see. _ “We don’t do what I did.”

“I…” Ennoshita hesitated, thumb rubbing at a shackle on his wrist, “I admit, I’m not sure why Asahi-san is as upset as he is. It’s Yamaoka’s fault he had to go into hiding, isn’t it?”

“That’s exactly why,” Daichi confessed. “He knows I did it for him. If Yamaoka had found out the primary witness to his slave trade was still alive, he’d come after Asahi. But that was a risk Asahi was willing to take. He didn’t want any more bloodshed.” Daichi rubbed at his temple, the piercing pain fading to a dull, uncomfortable thud. “Alright, listen up, everyone,” he announced. “We’re staying en route to Soren. You can stay there while I take care of this. If you don’t want to come back, talk to Ukai-san. He can restation you.”

“And if we want to help?” Ennoshita asked.

_ Then you’re out of your mind.  _ “Then be back on the ship before the departure time, whenever it is.” He glanced around the room at the others. Some looked a little shaken - Yachi paler than usual, Narita wringing his hands together, Kinoshita staring intently at his twiddling thumbs - but they stood in their places, awaiting Daichi’s orders.  _ I’m not sure that bodes well for their sanity, either. _ “Suga, Ennoshita. I want you and Kageyama with me when I talk to Iwaizumi in the comm room.”

“Yes, sir.”

“And Ennoshita? Go put a shirt on.”

“Y-yes, sir.”

* * *

“And how do you know he isn’t responding by choice?”

“His cut-off was suspicious. We’ve been on high alert since he found the cameras in our suite. Even if it was by choice, I’m not going to risk the chance.”

“How do you know he’s on the ship you mentioned?”

“I don’t. But it’s where he was when he got cut off.”

Talking to Iwaizumi - his actual hologram, his actual voice - in the comm room, Daichi felt like he could breathe again. Painting a clearer picture, molding the base of a plan - it all felt a little less impossible. There was a comfort in the ragtag mix that had followed him into the room, too. Suga didn’t hold back with his affections - brushing their fingers together, a hand on his shoulder, a soft smile whenever he looked his way. Tanaka had followed Ennoshita in like a lost puppy, complete with fond eyes as he watched Ennoshita, standing shoulder to shoulder with him against the wall. 

Not so comforting was Kageyama behind them. Daichi felt a bit of guilt, handcuffing him to the chair, but Kageyama gave no complaints, nodding in appreciation when Daichi made sure he was at least comfortable.

Not for the first time since their team had started flying together, Ennoshita was a great help - clever, and offering a perspective Daichi was unfamiliar with. “My concern is that ship. You mentioned it’s where you store all of your information?”

Iwaizumi had a soothing presence to him; both firm and reassuring, it was strange to remember he was the blackmailer threatening the foundation of everything Daichi held dear. “That’s right. You know what would happen if the wrong people got a hold of that information.”

Daichi scratched the back of his head; Ennoshita’s different knowledge was helpful and all, but Daichi wasn’t used to being out of the loop. “What would happen?”

“Malicious blackmail. Security leaks for every colony and planet’s military. Wars,” Iwaizumi replied, so matter-of-factly that it gave Daichi chills. “We may not be as all-knowing as people believe, but we do know anything critical. We’ve used that to stop government corruption and conflicts before.”

“And you use it to blackmail good people, too,” Tanaka hissed back.

“I do what I need to do.”

“Why couldn’t you just hire us for a job like you did before?”

“I need people to fight with their lives. I’m not taking chances with Tooru’s safety on the line.”

“Back to the part about the ship,” Daichi cut in. “Why can’t you scan for it? Why bring Kageyama into this?”

Iwaizumi faintly shook his head. “I’ve already tried. Tooru and Kageyama designed your engine. That includes masking the heat emissions. Your ship was the prototype before he added it to ours.”

“So whoever took over his ship is using that to hide their location.”  _ Guess there’s a con to having a stealth system after all. _ “Even if -  _ if _ \- Nekoma can make this crazy chip, I doubt it can pinpoint his location from anywhere in the system. It would take weeks, at least.”

“Leave that part to me. Finding leads is our specialty. You take care of the chip and prepare your team to fight.”

_ There’s more to that chip than its impossibility. _ Iwaizumi was willing to do whatever it took to protect his husband - just as Daichi was willing to do whatever he needed to protect Asahi, long before they married, before they were even dating. His best friend was suffering, hiding, waiting for the day that the man of his nightmares decided to take care of loose ends. 

Iwaizumi was willing to do whatever he needed for his love, no matter how many he needed to step on to do it. 

Daichi could do what  _ he _ needed to do. Make the same demands. Prey on another's demons. 

One look at Kageyama wilting in the chair - shoulders slumped over, head hung in shame, his bangs covering his eyes - and Daichi knew that wasn’t an option at all. “Kageyama. Are you willing to do this?”

“I…” The shackles cuffed behind the chair’s back jingled as Kageyama fidgeted at the question. “I don’t know.”

“Why don’t you know?” Daichi asked cautiously, calmly, more curious than commanding.

Kageyama sat silently for a moment, weighing his words. “I don’t like Oikawa-san.”

“Ha, so it  _ is _ a grudge,” Tanaka laughed sharply, making poor Kageyama flinch. “I don’t blame ya. He seems like a dick.”

“Is he really so bad, Kageyama?” Ennoshita asked softly. “Did he do something to you?”

“No.” A pause as he glared at his feet. “Yes.” Another pause as he looked off to his side. “I don’t know.” 

Daichi glanced from Kageyama to Ennoshita, the latter looking as lost as Daichi. Hopefully the projection could provide answers. “What happened, Iwaizumi?”

“You’ve noticed by now that Kageyama is a prodigy. His genius extends to Seijou’s work. He’s one of our best agents and best engineers. Because of that, Tooru sees him as a threat to crush. They can’t work anywhere near each other before they start acting like kids with petty grudges.”

“Being Connected on top of that must make it worse.”

“Tooru resents that it’s him and not me. I can’t say I like it either, but there’s no sense dwelling on it.” His frown was… plain. Neither here nor there. A feeling Daichi could understand, he supposed. He wished Asahi’s was his, but not with some lingering longing, only the casual curiosity of what it would be like. He was content with his own, and wasn’t sure he’d trade with Nishinoya if some god gave him the chance. “Those two can’t work together in person,” Iwaizumi continued, “but when their minds come together, it’s incredible. Your ship is a prime example of that. Which is why Kageyama was stationed on Soren instead of officially working for Aoba Jousai Engines in Everfall.”

Ennoshita’s voice was a bit muffled, getting heavy with sleep, his cheek squished against Tanaka’s shoulder. “And why he was ideal to spy on us. His qualifications with no official job made him the perfect recruit.”

Iwaizumi nodded. “We were hoping he’d get recruited for Shiratorizawa, but it worked in our favor regardless.”

“What do you plan to do with him, now?” Suga asked sharply, glaring at Iwaizumi’s projection. “What happens once this rescue is said and done?”

Iwaizumi watched as Suga stepped in front of Kageyama, shielding him from Kageyama’s view. “We have no room for traitors. Do what you will with him. But if he talks-”

“You snitch on my captain. We get it.” Tanaka snapped back.

“If you can find a way to do that without Kageyama or the chip, I won’t stop you. I don’t care what you do as long as Tooru is safe. You have three days.” 

Iwaizumi bowed his head, and with that, his hologram vanished. 

Leaving all eyes on Kageyama. 

“Kageyama,” Daichi started. “If they can make the chip, would you be willing to get the procedure?”

Kageyama was quiet for another moment before he peered at Ennoshita from the corner of his mostly covered eye. “Will it hurt?”

“Not at all. It only takes a few minutes, too,” Ennoshita replied. “But…”

“It’ll itch like hell for a while,” Tanaka finished for him, scratching the back of his neck at the memory.

Kageyama stayed quiet for a calculated moment, his gaze still locked on his feet before he looked up at Daichi to give him a hesitant nod. “I’ll do it.”

“Thank you,” Suga said for the both of them, resting a hand on Kageyama’s shoulder.

“Alright, one more call,” Daichi muttered under his breath, turning back to the console. 

With a few clicks and flicks, a familiar mess of black hair and lanky limbs greeted him with a devilish grin. “Sawamura! To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“I need you to make a miracle.”

* * *

“Daichi, should I talk to him? It’s been hours.”

“No, Suga. You know how he works.” Daichi pressed his cheek against Suga’s hair. It was hard to believe it was fake. No, not fake - it was real to him, all of Suga was real to him.  _ He was created differently, that’s all, _ Daichi reminded himself as he reached up to run his fingers through the soft locks. “Give Asahi time. He’ll come around on his own.” 

If they had the time. If the Grand King wasn’t a lost cause, and Iwaizumi didn’t send the people of Cassardis after them with pitchforks. 

Since Asahi had first kissed him, their bed had always felt… empty. Missing something. Suga was there, but he  _ wasn’t, _ and it was crazy to desire something they couldn’t see, couldn’t feel. But that desire was always there, always a far off dream. Getting Suga a ring he could never wear was evidence enough that they couldn’t let the dream go, even if they never spoke it aloud.

Now Suga was here, in his arms, in their bed and wearing his ring. Placing gentle kisses across his jaw. Holding Daichi roughly, too roughly, as the AI did when he miscalculated how much pressure to use. 

But their bed felt empty again. 

“He just needs time,” Daichi reminded himself, daydreaming of a new, far-off dream of forgiveness.

* * *

Daichi walked through the sterile white halls and past the sterile white labcoats of Nekoma Tech until he felt the familiar beat in his chest, a faint rumble as he got closer to his destination that always reminded him of... purring, somehow.

“Sawamura!” He could tell Kuroo’s cheer was forced; didn’t need to sense it, could hear it in his voice loud and clear. The crushing hug didn’t help, either. “It’s been so long since you’ve stopped by!”

Daichi pat his back awkwardly, grateful at least for the shoulder smooshed against his face to hide his weak smile. “I was here last month.” 

“You made me wait an entire month to see your fa- wow.” Kuroo cringed when he pulled away, squishing Daichi’s face between his hands. “You look like hell,” he remarked as he tilted Daichi’s head from side to side, inspecting the bags under his eyes and the pseudo-irked grin growing at his expense.

“Must be the headache I’m getting all of a sudden,” Daichi quipped, though he knew Kuroo could see past the faked irritation. 

It was a bit of a relief to talk to Kuroo again, not that he’d ever admit it. He had a way of calming Daichi down; he could be candid with him without saying a word, sharing their worries and joys alike through presence alone. There was some science to it, too, a practical reason for why Kuroo didn’t hesitate to get in his personal space, something about pheromones and contact. Said science was something Daichi researched on his own, even if it was something Kuroo knew far too much about; Daichi knew if he asked, he’d spend the next four hours trapped in the office while Kuroo pulled out spreadsheets and ancient textbooks composed of faded paper. “Tell me you have some good news.”

“We’ll find out soon enough.” Kuroo stepped aside, nudging Daichi into the office with his hand on his back before shutting the door. He took a seat at his desk, gesturing for Daichi to the chair across from him. “Kenma’s eyes lit up when I told him what you need and said to give him a few hours.”

There it was, a flicker of hope - one to cling to with all his might. “Thank you for this.”

“Thank Kenma if he can pull it off.” Kuroo pulled out the stylus tucked behind his ear to spin it between his fingers. “You really owe us for this.”

“Name your price. Whatever you want.”

“Movie night. You, your husbands, me, and Yaku.”

“I thought I was thanking Kozume for this?” Daichi smirked back. 

“He and Yamamoto can come along. But from what you’ve told me, that means Tanaka would invite himself and drag Ghost along with him.”

“Tanaka won’t get within 100 feet of Yaku if he can avoid it.” He was probably hiding behind Ennoshita right now to avoid Yaku dragging him to his office for maintenance on his arm.

“Smart man,” Kuroo quipped as the stylus slipped from his grasp. He struggled to catch it, accidentally juggling it between his hands before it inevitably clattered to the ground.

“Are you and Yaku still playing cat and mouse?”

Kuroo ducked his head under his desk, following the path of the escapee stylus. “Yup,” came his muffled reply. “But I’m not sure which one of us is the mouse anymo-” Thud. “Ow.”

“That means you’re the mouse,” Daichi teased, smirking at Kuroo’s expense as the researcher rubbed his head when he came back into view. “Thanks to that mop on your head, you won’t have to worry about a lump showing.” 

“How reassuring,” Kuroo huffed back before the blinking green light on his desk’s intercom caught both of their attention. 

“Kuro.”

“What have you got for me, Kenma?”

“The blueprint is done.”

Kuroo and Daichi glanced at each other, the surprise clear on both of their faces. “How far can it reach?”

“About four light seconds.” 

Being a military captain, Daichi had heard some crazy things over the years - including  _ Johzenji is rescuing us, _ and  _ Azumane is a murderer. _ But a chip letting someone feel their Connected from three quarters of a million miles away? That was easily second place, after Asahi being guilty of hurting anyone. “There must be some sort of side effect.”  _ Including me hearing things, because this is insane. _

“He’ll get headaches. We can take it out after you find the target.”

“Will it cause him any other problems?”

“No… Probably.”

“Everything involving procedures like this has the potential for problems, just like Ghost’s chip,” Kuroo explained to Daichi. “You can promise he’ll be safe, right, Kenma?”

“Yes. That’s why it can only reach four light seconds.”

“Only four, he says,” Kuroo remarked, shaking his head in disbelief. “We need it to work immediately, Kenma.”

“I know what I’m doing, Kuro,” Kozume replied, sounding a bit offended. Or at least that’s what Daichi thought he heard. He liked to think he was starting to understand Kozume, little by little. “It’ll be ready in two days.”

“No all-nighters, Kenma.”

The intercom clicked in response, leaving Kuroo to sigh at its silence. “I suppose one night won’t be so bad. So,” he glanced up at Daichi, flashing him that grin that reminded Daichi of a cartoon cat finally outsmarting the mouse, “there’s your miracle.”

“It feels like ‘miracle’ is an understatement. How is that even possible?”

“He hasn’t said it out loud, but I could tell he’s been itching to try something long distance. He probably had some designs in mind already.”

“How do you know if he hasn’t said it?”

“He’s asked about the legal ramifications a few times. There are lists of reasons why what he’s made so far isn’t accessible to the public yet, if they ever will be. Being Connected doesn’t mean happily ever after. It’s one thing if a pair gets something that only works in short distances…”

“...And it’s something else entirely if someone can be traced by an ex from four light seconds away.” Daichi folded his arms on Kuroo’s desk to rest his chin on them. “I’m assuming you got permission for this. I’ve broken enough laws getting here.”

“Relax, Sawamura. You’ll get your redemption arc the lawful good way.” The wheels on Kuroo’s chair creaked as he scooted closer. “I called in the big guns, and they didn’t hesitate to give the go ahead. Offered extra funding, too, but from the sounds of it, Kenma’s got whatever he needs covered already. Must have enough pieces laying around for the one chip.”

“He really was itching to work on that.” Daichi stayed silent for a moment, gaze drifting up from his spot on the desk as he watched Kuroo tuck his stylus in its usual spot behind his ear. "Hey, Kuroo," he began quietly. "Thanks for this."

Kuroo smirked. "It's my job to keep a crazy rebel like you out of trouble." He reached across the desk, offering his open palm.

Daichi placed his hand over Kuroo's, loosely curling his fingers around it.

"You know Kenma's going to call in to return the favor the next time he has some big idea."

Daichi smiled softly back. “Can’t escape it forever, huh?”

“Nope. Looks like you’re stuck with me.”

“I guess there are worse fates.” 

* * *

Daichi was never as content with waiting patiently as he seemed. Time spent idling was time spent letting anxiety bubble up, time spent fighting off his doubts. 

Doubt had no place here, no place with him and no place on his ship or with his team. And there was no better way to fight off doubts than spending every possible minute preparing instead of sitting on his ass, waiting.

It helped relieve his nerves to see some of his teammates preparing at the Karasuno shooting range, too. Even if they were too busy flirting instead of actually preparing to notice Daichi come in. “Hate how my arm feels after Yaku gets a hold of it. Feels too tight.”

“Tight here?” Ennoshita traced his index and middle fingers over the faint scar curling around Tanaka’s bicep.

“Nah, it’s like.. Like this.” Tanaka folded his arm before extending it again, slowly, tension pulling at it as if he was carrying weights. 

“So... here?” Ennoshita hummed, taking Tanaka’s hand in one of his own and brushing a single fingertip down the inside of his forearm.

Tanaka always did blush easily, his cheeks starting to flush already from the faint contact. “Y-ya know I can’t feel that all that well, right?”

“Then how about here?” Ennoshita stepped closer till there were only a few inches between them, sliding his hand up Tanaka’s arm and over the inked dragon head-

_ “Ahem,” _ Daichi cleared his throat, delighting in the way Ennoshita jumped a foot in the air. His face was red enough to match Tanaka’s, too. “I see you two are busy preparing in case there’s a fight?”

“Y-yes, Daichi-san,” Ennoshita replied, clearing his own throat awkwardly. “Ryuu was going to help pick a pistol that suits me better.”

Tanaka smirked, giving Ennoshita a hearty thwack on the back. “You mean somethin’ to help your shitty shooting.” 

“Yes. That,” Ennoshita replied flatly. “Do you have any suggestions, Daichi-san?” 

“Nah, don’t worry, leave it all to me,” Tanaka cut in quickly, grabbing Ennoshita by the shoulders and spinning him around to face the line of laser pistols set along the counter. “Kiyoko-san brought everything we need. We got time to try out each of ‘em till we find a winner. Try this first.” Tanaka grabbed the pistol on the far left by the barrel, careful to point it away from either of them even though it was a mock weapon that could do no damage. He reached for Ennoshita’s wrist with his other hand, running his fingers along the back of his hand until Ennoshita opened his palm. “Let’s see how this one works,” he said as he carefully placed it in Ennoshita’s palm, gently closing their fingers around the handle. 

_ Why is he bothering with that one at all? _ Daichi wondered as Tanaka led Ennoshita to the stall.  _ Its accuracy is terrible. _ Even more groan-worthy was Tanaka copying every cliche movie trope where the hero teaches their love interest how to shoot, wrapping his arms around Ennoshita to show him how to shoot properly. Ennoshita was no better, either - both of them and Daichi knew Ennoshita had the basics down, but the infiltrator said nothing about it, letting Tanaka hold him close. 

_ The best gun for him is all the way on the right. If Tanaka is going to do this for every one, it’s going to take him forever to get to- Oh. _ Daichi shook his head.  _ Honestly, a shooting range is a terrible place for cuddling, you two, _ he laughed to himself, but decided to keep his mouth shut. If they wanted to get close in one of the least romantic places Daichi could imagine instead of enjoying a night on the town, that was their choice. A terrible choice, but theirs nonetheless. 

He walked over to the opposite counter, his eyes straying along the display of rifles until his eyes landed on one he knew all too well. 

A sniper rifle, a newer version of an older model he used for years. Dependable, sturdy. It had a weight to it that he loved, once. 

Loved until its second-to-last shot. 

_ I missed the first time. _

Daichi could remember it vividly, relived every detail in his dreams. The weight of his rifle, the view in his scope, the cheer of the crowd as their former president spoke of hope and ‘the generations ahead’ as if he hadn’t sold countless homeless children off to fill his pockets and buy his reputation. 

He could remember the shake in his hands, the pounding in his chest as he mounted his gun on the windowsill, remembered his own incredulous laugh when the denial began to sink and he felt like he was copying some comic scene, playing the part of the villain and nothing more. 

He remembered needing at least ten minutes to steady his breathing, steady his hands, steady his aim on the target as the time to take his perfect shot ticked away.

He remembered his grip failing him when he pulled the trigger between breaths, the screams of the crowd, the drapes behind his target’s shoulder catching fire from the laser shot, the panic in Yamaoka’s face as he stood there, too stunned to move. 

_ I missed the first time, and that was the chance the gods gave me to leave.  _

He could have left. 

He could have left,  _ There are kids watching, _ he could have put the thought behind him and moved on,  _ What if those kids are his next targets, _ he could have lived his life with Asahi and Suga in peace,  _ What if Asahi is next? _

He remembered clutching his rifle too tightly, he remembered ignoring all that his training had taught him and holding his breath instead, he remembered taking the shot that should have, by all means, completely missed-

“You alright, Daichi-san?” 

Tanaka and Ennoshita looked at him with concern in their curious eyes, Tanaka rubbing Ennoshita’s shoulder gently. 

“Yeah! Yeah.” Daichi inhaled deeply through his nose, blinking around the room before looking back at the two. “Yeah. It’s been a long day.” He exhaled slowly, taking one last look at the rifle. “Just getting tired, is all. Been fighting this headache.”

“You should go rest,” Ennoshita ‘suggested’, firm enough in his tone that Daichi knew arguing wasn’t an option. “Tanaka and I can take care of anything on the ship for the night.”

“Unruly subordinates,” Daichi remarked with a faint smile. ”You’re right. I should rest while I can. I’m counting on you.”

“Leave it to me!” Tanaka declared proudly, patting his chest. 

“That was directed to Ennoshita.”

“You wound me, Daichi-san.”

* * *

Suga greeted Daichi at the airlock with a kiss on his cheek, taking his hand and obliviously crushing the fingers between his. “Welcome back. I heard the good news about Kozume-kun. I’ve already told Kageyama.”

“Thank you, Suga.” Daichi squeezed his hand back. Or tried to, at least. “Where’s Asahi?”

“Straight to business, I see,” Suga teased quietly, leading him through the command center to the staircase. “In the spare room. He never left the ship.” 

_ That’s a good sign, at least. _ “Have I missed anything?”

“Nothing at all. Most of the team are out for the evening.”

“They deserve some shore leave.” But the silence they left behind in the halls made Daichi uneasy. “Do you think they’ll come back?” he asked when they were in the privacy of their room, wrapping his arms over Suga’s shoulders as soon as the door slid shut.

“Stop worrying, Daichi. Nobody took anything besides their essentials,” Suga rested his hands on Daichi’s waist. “Asahi hasn’t taken anything from here besides his toothbrush and a set of clothes, either. And his plush rabbit.”

“How old is he again,” Daichi scoffed quietly, his lips pulling into a lopsided grin against his will. 

“He tried to be sneaky about it, too.”

“Please tell me you have that recorded.”

“Recorded, backed up, and locked so it can’t get deleted,” Suga replied with a light laugh before reaching over his arm to run his fingers through Daichi’s hair. “How’s that headache?”

Daichi leaned into the touch, Suga’s hand gentle for once. Suga was getting used to showing his affection without torturing them, slowly but surely. “I think it’s taken up permanent residence.”

“Good choice. It’s a nice head to settle down in. Marry a cute migraine, raise a little headache family together.”

“Don’t jinx it, Suga.”

Suga leaned in, closing the distance between them, his lips soft and smooth against Daichi’s. “There. All better,” he hummed against Daichi’s lips.

Daichi smiled back, holding Suga tighter and pressing their foreheads together. “Thank you.”

A contemplative silence fell over them, comfortable until the circles Suga was tracing on his back slowed to a stop. “Daichi… Do you want to talk about it? I know we never…”

_ We never spoke of it. _

They almost did, once. 

The day that it happened. 

_ “Breaking news: Reports confirm Cassardis’s former President Yamaoka was shot and killed during his speech four hours ago,” _ flooded through the intercom monotonously, through Suga’s voice, but without Suga’s cheer, without his personality that set him apart from the other few, rare AIs. 

_ “You were at Cassardis today, weren’t you?” _ Suga asked a long moment later. 

_ “I was.” _

_ “I see.” _

I see, was all he had said. It was all that was ever said. The name ‘Yamaoka’ was never spoken between them again, not in the three years since-

“Daichi.”

They never said a word, not to each other, never to Asahi-

_ “Daichi.” _ Suga squeezed at Daichi’s sides to grab his attention. “Are you okay? Do you want to talk about it?”

Daichi blinked at Suga a few times before closing his eyes. “I’m fine, Suga,” he finally replied, taking another deep breath through his nose. “I don’t want to talk about it,” he confessed. “I’m not sure what there is to say.”

Suga rubbed at the sides he pinched in handfuls, rubbing away the sting apologetically. “You could try talking to Yacchan some time.”

He kissed Suga’s forehead, leaving his lips there as he spoke. “Maybe.” When he pulled away, he reached for Suga’s hand and led him to their empty bed. “Let’s worry about sleeping for now. I can’t take another minute of today.”

* * *

“You know what this means, Sawamura.”

“Yes, Ukai-san, sir.”

* * *

_ “Can you hear me?” _

“Loud and clear, Ennoshita.”

_ “How can you hear me?” _

“...Through the comm?” Daichi kept his finger up to his ear comm, glancing across the room towards that wave of pride reeking from the other side. “What’s going on, Kuroo?”

Opposed to Kuroo’s office, the meeting room at Nekoma Tech was clean, lacking anything beyond the screen taking up a wall by the head of the long, gray table with its matching mesh, gray chairs that some of them occupied now. Daichi took a seat beside Suga, the AI reaching for his hand under the table. Tanaka stood a few feet away from Kuroo, leaning against the wall by the window with his arms folded across his chest as his eyes scanned the room slowly.

The meeting room was clean, but the same couldn't be said for the table Kuroo was sitting at. They’d only been in there for a few minutes now, and the space in front of him was already covered in strewn about datapads and styluses. The researcher grinned from ear to ear when Daichi looked his way. “I muffled Ghost’s helmet. Now, he doesn’t have to worry about keeping quiet on missions.”

_ “Thank you, Kuroo-san. This should help immensely.” _

Yaku sat beside Kuroo, leaning his elbow on the table with his cheek squished against his palm. “Why didn’t you do that before?”

“It’s not simple to soundproof from one side without damaging the mirror system on the helmet, Yakkun. You need to balance-”

The empty chair beside Kuroo jerked out of it’s place suddenly, and Kuroo and Yaku both jumped like cats ready to scatter.

“Alright, that’s enough sneakin’ around.” From his spot by the door, Tanaka reached out until his hand met his stealthed Connected, the wave of soft  _ clicks _ announcing Ennoshita’s arrival as his suit cascaded into view. It was always a strange sight, like thousands of glossy, black tiles flipping at the blink of an eye. 

Tanaka was more entranced by what lay underneath, though, his hands quickly finding their way to the clasps of Ennoshita’s helmet to help him remove it. “It’s a shame to hide that pretty face,” Tanaka commented absently as the helmet came up and off before he brushed away the strand of hair from Ennoshita’s forehead. 

It wasn’t the place to be looking at each other like they were the only two people in the galaxy, but as long as they limited themselves to their sappy glances off to the corner, Daichi decided there was no harm in letting them spend their time waiting for the rest like that.

The detective bursting through the door disagreed. “Feh.”

“C’mon, Futakuchi.” Moniwa nudged his underling’s back with the crate he was carrying, the door sliding shut behind them. “Is this all of us?”

Daichi nodded as Moniwa carefully placed the crate on the table and sat beside him. “All but one. We need to discuss what we can before he calls.” 

Futakuchi squeezed himself between the couple flirting against the wall, ignoring both of their raised brows. “Like our little spy. Did we learn anything from him?” he asked, propping his foot up behind him, making himself at home. 

Ennoshita gave Tanaka a small shrug, at least looking vaguely amused before he answered the detective. “Not so much from him, but Iwaizumi-san is a different story. He mentioned they were hoping Shiratorizawa would recruit Kageyama.”

“So they probably don’t have an agent in Shiratorizawa,” Futakuchi finished for him. 

Kuroo leaned back in his chair, elbows resting on the armrests. “It’s possible he’s saying that to throw us off.”

“Screening to join Shiratorizawa is… intense,” Moniwa replied carefully. “No one’s as paranoid about Seijou leaks as they are.”

“And that’s not the first time they’ve hinted they have no spies there.” Ennoshita leaned back against the wall beside Futakuchi with his hands tucked behind him. “Yahaba was never subtle about wanting information from them before I got caught.”

“Didja ever go for it? Try to steal info from Shiratorizawa?” Tanaka asked with wide-eyed curiosity.

Futakuchi clicked his tongue before Ennoshita could answer. “Wish he did. Nothing gets past them. It would have saved me a whole lot of trouble.”

Ennoshita gave Tanaka another small shrug of his shoulders, unable to hide the satisfied grin that snuck across his lips whenever he spoke of his days as a thief. “Didn’t want to make the detective’s life easy for him.”

“Back to the topic at hand,” Daichi interrupted, amused when Ennoshita scratched the back of his neck in a way that reminded him of Asahi. “Kageyama did mention that the ship Oikawa last reported from is their main data hub. Any backup information is split up in case of a breach at any of their lesser hubs.”

Moniwa gave a knowing nod, his kind eyes fixed with a determination Daichi hadn’t seen since… since the massacre that damned Asahi’s name, since they had to spend days and nights debating the best course of action for the worst case scenario, since they were huddled over tables signing papers and testimonies with shaky hands and regret heavy on their shoulders. “So you’re saying if anything happened to the ship, they’d be crippled, but not completely out of the game.” He glanced at Futakuchi, the younger detective meeting his eye without a word.

“How long it takes them to recuperate depends on how many agents they have available,” Suga commented, his fingers intertwined with Daichi’s out of sight squeezing surprisingly gently. “Kageyama doesn’t know how many there-”

The rapid beeps drew their attention towards the monitor, sets of three in quick succession that only days ago would have sent pulses of terror squeezing his heart at the same speed. At least now that the demons had already done their damage there, he was free of those surges whenever the calls rang.  _ A bright side to everything after all, huh? _

“Looks like the guest of honor has arrived,” Kuroo remarked absently, more to himself as he reached for a remote buried in his mess of datapads. 

With a click, the monitor revealed a wall of static, the jarring masked voice from the ship grating Daichi’s ears yet again. “Are we ready to discuss the situation?”

Ennoshita glanced towards him, an apologetic smile in his direction. It was a good thing Daichi didn’t take bets - Ennoshita warned him Iwaizumi would disguise his call despite everything, and probably spent the past hour or so covering all his steps so he couldn’t be traced or recorded. 

“As ready as we can be.” Moniwa stood from his chair, the dull rumble of wheels rolling along the tiles filling the brief silence before he reached into the crate on the table. “The bomb used against Johzenji was pretty shoddily made, and that’s why it didn’t do much damage. Since time is limited,” he side-eyed the monitor, “we’re going on the assumption that it was handmade by whoever planted it, and tracked down the black market suppliers for the pieces instead. We couldn’t ask much without tipping them off, but we could confirm they sell pieces that could be used for a ship’s cannons, too. In short, we don’t have any solid reason to believe the bomber and whoever shot at Karasuno are different people.” 

Tanaka propped his foot up on the wall, his pose no different than the detective’s beside him. “Didn’t we already know that?”

“There's a difference between a lead and a confirmation,” Futakuchi explained, though his annoyance was directed toward the monitor. “Going on assumptions is dangerous.”

The Seijou agent responded with the same annoyance. “Time isn't an option.”

“Luckily, I think we’re in the clear with this one.” Kuroo reached into his white labcoat, pulling out one of the cameras Ennoshita stole from Iwaizumi’s suite not even a full week ago. “This isn’t from the same supplier, but one they work with just outside of the same colony. We couldn’t trace to the source of the camera feed, but it wouldn’t be a stretch to say that whoever attacked is the same person or group that was spying on them.”

“About those cameras,” Ennoshita started quietly, greeted by a silence that beckoned him to continue despite the busy buzz of all in the room, “I’ve been wondering about that guard that caught us in your suite. He shouldn’t have known we were there, right? So he must have known about the cameras.”

“That’s right,” Iwaizumi’s masked voice confirmed. “He disappeared two days later, not long before Tooru got cut off. We lost his path when he switched skycars, but we were able to track down who he really is.” At the top left corner of the screen, the image of a man staring front and center appeared, his vague semblance to Yaku enough for Tanaka to raise a brow at the Nekoma researcher a few feet away. “His name is Sakijima Isumi. He built heavy weapons for a black market dealer before Johzenji took over and ran them out of business.” 

“I recognize him,” Moniwa remarked distractedly, squinting at the screen.

“Ugh.” Kuroo sneered at the image, Yaku beside him with his nose scrunched up looking at it with the same distaste. “I’d recognize that smug look anywhere. That’s Daishou’s old assistant.”

“I knew it,” Futakuchi growled. “Do you remember the brown-noser I was telling you about?” he asked Ennoshita as he reached into his coat. “Daishou Suguru. Tanaka, do you remember the thief in the stealth suit you chased down at Dateko a few months back? The guy that stole the bag with the blood sample on it? Daishou fits his height.” With a few clicks of whatever was in his hand, another image joined the first to the top right corner of the monitor. Piercing eyes nearly hidden under murky brown bangs greeted them. “He worked with Nekoma until about a year and a half ago. He was always kissing ass to get promotions and raises, then suddenly, he starts making a bunch of mistakes.  _ Bad _ mistakes. Enough that they had to let him go. But that always rubbed me the wrong way.”

“Me too,” Kuroo chimed in excitedly, like a highschool kid ready to spread the latest gossip. “He wasn’t the type to screw up like that. It  _ had _ to be intentional. I always thought it was so he could win some court case or something sleazy like that, but if he’s got a stealth suit, that fills in the puzzle. He was working with me to design it. Once the blueprint was finished, he got what he wanted, then made sure he got fired for something completely unrelated so no one would look his way if something like the stolen evidence happened.”

“You think he just wanted a stealth suit, then?” Daichi asked, rubbing his thumb over the back of Suga’s hand.

Yaku folded his arms on the table. “Clearly not, if he’s responsible for all this. That wasn’t the only project he helped us with. He probably had blueprints for all he needed before he left. We thought he fired Sakijima, too. He must have been sending him the blueprints and having him build whatever he needed.”

Kuroo exaggerated a sigh, blowing at his bangs as he exhaled. “Wouldn’t have taken much to get blueprints from Fukurodani, too. He could have had a whole, filthy team building a ship right under our noses.”

“Let me get this straight,” Daichi started, scratching the back of his head and absently reminding himself to get a haircut when his hair covered his fingers. “Daishou ‘fired’ Sakishima but secretly kept sending him blueprints to build a ship and weapons. He helped design the stealth suit, then got himself fired so he wouldn’t look suspicious. And if we’re right, and his group is responsible for bombing Johzenji and shooting our ship, they must have been the ones taking out mercs and black market traders to… what? Take over the underground?”

“That’s the assumption,” Iwaizumi answered. “Besides Seijou, Johzenji would have been the ones to take out if they wanted control. But they must have been onto us for a while, because Sakijima’s been working as my guard for about a year now.”

“They must have been waiting for the right time to strike.” Daichi glared back at the two pairs of unblinking eyes on the monitor taunting him. 

At least they knew who they were hunting for now. “Can we track them down?”

“Send me the coordinates of their supplier, and I can trace their shipments. I’ll be able to narrow the general area down by tomorrow,” Iwaizumi replied. “But remember-”

“The ship is stealthed,” Tanaka snapped. “Don’t worry, we didn’t forget why you’re threatening my captain.”

“I’m assuming you have the chip, then?”

“We’ve got the chip.” Kuroo shuffled through his datapads before he pulled one out to glance over. “Kageyama should be able to guide us with it, but it’s not pinpoint specific. If this ship’s as big as you say, he’ll find it, but he won’t be able to find where Oikawa is on the ship specifically.”

“Uh, how big was the ship again?” Tanaka asked.

“One point fifty-seven miles,” Suga answered, much to Tanaka’s frowning dismay. 

“We keep our servers at the starboard bow, by the security room.”

“That’s probably where they’re holding Oikawa. They can keep an eye on him and have control of everything in one place,” Ennoshita sighed, resting the back of his head against the wall and closing his eyes. “Daishou will have his people all over the ship. If he could afford to build his own ship and a stealth suit-”

“Then there will be weapons and armor aplenty!” Kuroo shuffled through the datapads again. “I’ll leave the fighting to Sawamura, but I can help fix that stealth suit problem.” 

“I’m afraid we can’t do anything more,” Moniwa admitted with a hint of defeat, his gaze cast down at the table. “I shouldn’t be helping with this off the record to begin with, but…”

_ But this is just as much your mess to clean, even if it’s all my fault. _ “Thank you, Detective. You’ve done more than enough.” 

“We wouldn’t have this lead at all if it wasn’t for you,” Suga reassured him with a soft smile.

Judging by his own small smile back, Moniwa wasn’t the least bit convinced, but he bowed his head politely anyway. “Call me if you need me for anything, and I’ll do as much as I can. C’mon, Futakuchi.”

Futakuchi kicked himself off the wall, giving Tanaka and Ennoshita a nod before he followed Moniwa out the door.

Suga cut through the silence with a buzz of excitement dancing on his synthetic undertone. “I could help on the mission! I could upload combat manuals and be ready to fight within-”

“No, no way, out of the question!” Yaku interrupted with a panicked lilt to his voice. “I did  _ not _ spend all that time building you to have to do it all over. I will handcuff you to a terminal if I need to.”

“Oh, Yakkun, I didn’t know you were into that~” Kuroo purred, and Yaku’s face went as red as his undershirt.

Tanaka grabbed Ennoshita’s hand and yanked him toward the doorway. “I’m leavin’ before I’m a witness to murder.”

Judging by the sudden wave of fear from Kuroo’s direction when Yaku stood to glare at him, Tanaka had the right idea. Daichi barely pulled Suga out in time before a muffled yelp could be heard behind the closed door.

“The success rates for the mission are pretty high,” Suga commented as they walked down the hall, “but what you have in mind for after is too risky. If it doesn’t work out…”

“It needs to be done, Suga.” Daichi stopped to face Suga, taking each of the AI’s hands into his own. “It’s like whatever it was that Kuroo said. I’m going to do this the ‘lawful good’ way.” He brought Suga’s hands up to his lips, keeping them there as he considered Suga’s subtle warning. There’d only be one chance, a chance he wasn’t even the one rolling the dice for. “There’s no turning back, anyway. Kuroo already talked to them about it.” He kissed a knuckle on Suga’s left hand before lowering them. “You should talk to them directly while we have the chance.”

“But I wanted to go with you to look at Kuroo’s armors!”

“You’re not joining the mission, Suga,” Daichi laughed lightly. “Do you really want to run estimates on my chance for survival if Yaku finds out you need repairs?”

Suga gave him the poorest excuse for a pout that Daichi had ever seen, even worse than Tanaka’s. “Fine. I’ll go talk to them now.” Suga leaned in to give him a peck on the lips, chaste and sweet before he turned toward the other end of the hall, leaving Daichi alone to gather his thoughts as the plan for the mission became as solid as the past he couldn’t escape.

At least now he had the chance to turn his regrets into something he could be proud of, even if he was risking it all.

* * *

“About that favor you promised…”

“Anything for you, Sawamura-kun~”

* * *

Daichi found himself spending the third morning at the hospital, and judging by Tsukishima’s smirk and Kageyama’s glare, the procedure may not have been as simple as Kuroo explained only because it involved those two.

“No. I won’t let him do it.”

“You don’t have any choice. Nurse Kunimi hasn’t shown up in four days. It’s only me now~”

“Enough arguing.” Daichi wasn’t sure he had ever seen Kageyama so irritated before, and he’d certainly never seen Tsukishima look so pleased with himself. “Sorry Kageyama, but he’s right. There’s no one else available that’s done this procedure before.”

Kageyama looked at Daichi with a mix of horror and rage, as if Daichi had just offended his ancestors and threatened to shove each of his future descendants out of the airlock one by one. It was almost as unsettling as the face Kageyama made that one time he fell asleep standing in the engine room - Kageyama wasn’t allowed to stay in the engine room past his shift after that one. 

Thankfully Kageyama didn’t argue further, turning on the hospital bed to glare at the wall instead. Tsukishima’s smirk dropped back to his usual bored expression the moment Kageyama was no longer looking, busying himself with putting on his latex gloves instead.

Dr. Nakashima began to do the same, glancing in Kageyama’s direction as he pulled the rubber hem of the glove down to his wrist with a snap. “It won’t take any longer than fifteen minutes, Kageyama-kun. You’ll be asleep the whole time. Won’t feel a thing,” he reassured with a comforting smile. “Are you ready?”

Kageyama looked at Daichi before giving the doctor a nod. “Yes, sir.”

“Sawamura-san, I’m afraid I need to ask you to leave now.” Dr. Nakashima gestured to the door.

Daichi caught sight of Kageyama squeezing his eyes shut and Tsukishima carefully placing the mask for the sleeping gas over the engineer’s mouth before the door slid shut.

“Oh. Looks like I’m late.”

Daichi spun around to find Ennoshita blinking at the door. “Ennoshita. What brings you here?”

“I decided to stop by in case Kageyama needed a last minute pep talk, but it looks like that wasn’t necessary.” Ennoshita glanced around the empty hallway, a lazy gaze casually taking in the dull view. “I suppose I should visit that one place since I’m here,” he muttered, mostly to himself.

Daichi raised his eyebrow, curious regardless. “What place?”

“There was a balcony on the second floor that overlooked a garden. Nothing really to it, but it was the first window view I had in over a year when I was staying here.” Ennoshita shrugged, giving Daichi a lazy smile. “Guess I have an emotional attachment to it from my Stockholm syndrome days.”

“Mind if I follow you? A quiet garden sounds perfect right about now.”

“Certainly. I could use the company,” Ennoshita nodded, gesturing to the right before leading down the hall.

“Are you sure? This is the first time I’ve seen you alone in a month.”

“I think Ryuu’s turned me into an extrovert. Being alone feels tiring, now.”

The steady rhythm of their footsteps eased Daichi’s worries in the operation down the hall with every  _ tap, tap, tap. _ “People don’t just turn into extroverts, Ennoshita,” he replied, amused. 

“You’re probably right. Being alone’s always felt tiring. Not that I don’t value time to myself, of course. But being surrounded by people has been…” Ennoshita trailed off, contemplating the right word, “...energizing, I suppose.” 

“I think I’m the same. I’d rather be dealing with people for too long than alone for too long.”

Ennoshita stuck by the wall as they descended the stairs. “You have two husbands. One’s an AI that doesn’t sleep and can talk to you from anywhere. I don’t think you’re allowed to be an introvert,” he teased.

“It’s no wonder Asahi goes on his nature hikes all the time.” Daichi stepped closer to Ennoshita to give the pair of doctors walking opposite of them room. “Speaking of husbands, where’s Tanaka?”

Ennoshita sputtered and choked. “He’s- It’s not- Please don’t use that word,” he finally managed, but not without his voice cracking. 

“Alright, I won’t. Yet,” Daichi replied with a grin, rewarded with Ennoshita’s embarrassed groan. “But really, where is he? I thought you two were tied at the hip.”

“He’s talking with Yacchan. In her office.”

“...We’re talking about Tanaka, right?”

“I was confused, too. Happy, though. He won’t tell me what they talk about, but that’s fine.” The door in front of Ennoshita slid open, revealing a balcony - a pitiful excuse of one, anyway. Ugly cement, chipped white paint on the railing, and the ‘garden’ was more sparse that the few flowers and bushes lining the Karasuno Headquarters walkway. “You should talk to her some time, too.”

“You’re starting to sound like Suga.” The uneven paint scratched his palms when he leaned his weight on his hands. “Some garden.”

Ennoshita leaned on the rail beside him, elbows folded on top of it. “I did say there was nothing really to it.”

“What kind of flower do you think that is?”

“Whatever it is, it’s seen better days.” 

The spring breeze was soothing, a gentle chill caressing his scalp as it blew through his hair. Spring was always Asahi’s favorite season. He loved autumn, too, but autumn meant the cold was swiftly approaching, trapping him inside the house because his skin was as thin as cotton. Suga could finally enjoy spring with them now, too.  _ The three of us should go hiking this year. We’ll have plenty of time once this is over, if we’re lucky. If we’re not, well, maybe they’ll just get me, leave Asahi and- _

“Daichi-san.”

Daichi blinked at Ennoshita, eyes flickering from the infiltrator’s face to the elbow nudging him gently.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“You’re definitely sounding like Suga now,” he replied with a laugh faint enough to get whisked away by the weak breeze. “It’s like I told him. I’m not sure what there is to say.”

“Sometimes it’s easier to talk to people who weren’t there. Isn’t that why people find it easier to talk to therapists in the first place?”

“I don’t think that’s why, Ennoshita.”

“But it helps, doesn’t it?” Ennoshita kept his gaze on him, searching Daichi’s face before shrugging. “The offer’s there, that’s all.”

“Thank you.” Daichi turned back to the dying flower bush, letting the silence wash over them like the wind while he gathered his thoughts for a few more peaceful minutes. “I don’t know where I’d begin.”

“Anywhere. Nowhere. Just say anything that’s on your mind.”

Daichi was quiet for another moment, looking over the flowers further from his reach.  _ I wonder what that pink one’s called. I bet Asahi would know. _ “I’m not sure if… I’m not sure if I regret it,” he finally confessed. “I don’t know if I was right or wrong. Maybe he would have repented. I’ll never know. I never gave him the chance. But I…” he gripped the railing tighter, unsure of where his words were going, letting them tumble out of his mouth freely before he stopped to consider them. “But I hated it. I hated him. I couldn’t sleep at night knowing that bastard was walking free after all he did, and Asahi had to live in fear because of it. We had no way of knowing if he’d hire someone to take Asahi out. And Asahi, he’d… He’d get night terrors. Like Tanaka does. Still does, sometimes. Whenever it happens, I think that…” 

He squeezed his eyes shut, inhaling through his nose, counting the beats before he let the breath out. Then again, deep breaths until his mind stopped reeling, if only for a moment. “You know when we found his slave trade was still going on? I felt vindicated. It was awful. People were suffering, and part of me was happy for it. And I feel worse for it now. Worse than…. Worse than when I took the shot.” He paused again, opening his eyes to stare at the railing worn by rain and time. 

“But I don’t think I’d take the shot back. If someone sent me back in time for a do-over, I’d do it again. And I don’t know if that makes me better or worse. I just….” He glanced up at the clouds casually strolling by overhead. Clouds he wouldn’t be able to fly through for much longer. “I just want someone to tell me if I was right or wrong.”

“I can’t answer that for you. But...” Ennoshita scuffed his foot against the cement absently as he watched what looked like something that once resembled daffodils flopped lifelessly back and forth with the breeze. “A long time ago, I did something stupid. I got reckless and acted despite the consequences, and it saved lives, but only because we got lucky. ‘Rescued by a mercenary group in the nick of time’ lucky. Ryuu said what I did was the right call, even though it almost got us all killed. So we argued. And it wasn’t just us. The entire ship was arguing. Until someone I admire stepped in.

“He said that there’s rarely a ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ call to make. And that there’s never a guarantee there’s going to be a good outcome. But making tough choices is what leaders do.” 

Daichi ducked his head, hoping to hide his smile with his arm. “I can’t believe you used my own words against me.”

“It’s my job as your ‘unruly subordinate’ to keep you on your toes.”

“Hm. We’ll see about that.”

Ennoshita opened his mouth to retort, until an obnoxiously high-pitched ringing made them both flinch. Ennoshita cringed as he pulled the source of the wretched sound from his pocket. “I need to change that.”

Daichi squinted his eyes at the sleek black cellphone in Ennoshita’s hand. “When did you get that?”

“Yesterday. Ryuu and I got matching ones,” Ennoshita confessed with a blush as he swiped at the screen. “Speaking of, that’s him now. He’s saying he needs emotional support after therapy. And… that’s an excessive amount of emojis. These phones may have been a mistake.” He pocketed the phone, looking back at Daichi. “He just wants attention. He can wait if you need.”

“No. Go ahead, you’ve left me plenty to think about,” Daichi replied, waving him away. “Go tell your husband I say ‘hi’.”

“I’m pretending I didn’t hear that,” Ennoshita shot back quickly, turning back towards the door. “Enjoy your garden.”

“Ennoshita… Thanks.”

Ennoshita only bowed his head back, giving Daichi a final smile before the door opened - and muttering a polite, “Ah, excuse me, Asahi-san,” as he walked past. 

Asahi stepped through the doorway quietly, refusing to meet Daichi’s gaze. 

“Come to enjoy the view?” Daichi joked, testing his boundaries. 

Asahi crossed the small distance between them in two steps, wrapping his arms around Daichi’s shoulders tightly and burying his face in the crook of his neck. “I’m mad at you,” he mumbled against Daichi’s skin.

Daichi held back just as tightly, or perhaps tighter, breathing in the deepest sigh of relief to have Asahi in his arms again. “I noticed.”

Asahi squeezed back, clutching the back of Daichi’s shirt. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“There was never a right time to bring it up. After a while, it was too late.” Daichi pulled away enough to cup Asahi’s face with his hands, trying to look into the eyes that kept avoiding his. “I didn’t want to keep it from you. But I knew you’d blame yourself.”

“But it is my fault. I heard you say-”

“Asahi, listen to me.” He brushed a stray hair falling from the loose bun out of Asahi’s face. “If I did it for Suga, would you blame him for it?”

“No, but-”

“But what, Asahi? How is it different for you?”

The faintest smirk graced Asahi’s lips, and it was enough to set Daichi’s heart racing; he wasn’t sure when - or if - he’d see that smirk again. “Because we’re weak for Suga and let him do whatever he wants.” 

“You’re not wrong,” Daichi laughed back lightly, running his fingers through the mess of hair fighting to break free from the elastic band. “I’m sorry, Asahi. I should have told you, I know. But what I did…” 

Asahi rested his chin on Daichi’s shoulder, his face out of Daichi’s line of vision but his voice tickling his ear. “I heard you talking to Ennoshita. I think that...” Asahi rested the side of his head against Daichi’s, letting his contemplative silence linger a few seconds before he spoke again. “I think you were wrong.”

It was everything he’d never wanted to hear, the words he feared for too long. But maybe it was because he feared it for so long, put the possibility on such a high pedestal of terror that when Asahi finally spoke them, they were more of an old pain throbbing dully just to remind him the wound was still there than the devastating declaration he’d expected for years. “I figured you’d think that.”

“Would you still do it all over again?”

Daichi let the question in his mind turn as slowly as his hand trailing up Asahi’s side. “I would. Over and over again. I’d rather you hate me than let you cower in fear until the bastard came for you.”

Asahi grew quiet again, unmoving in Daichi’s arms for another silent moment before he sighed. “I could never hate you.” 

Daichi huffed in amusement, turning his head to place a featherlight kiss on Asahi’s jaw. “You shouldn’t have told me that. Now I know I can get away with anything.” Another kiss, another faint laugh when Asahi groaned in response. “C’mon, goofball. Let’s get back on the ship and see Suga.”

“Can we… Can we just stay like this for a little longer, first?” Asahi mumbled into Daichi’s neck.

Daichi wrapped his arms around him tighter. “Of course.”

* * *

_ Here we go. _

_ Let’s see if anyone decided to come back. _

Daichi wasn’t sure what, or who, to expect. Kageyama was the only given. Ennoshita and Tanaka were most likely to show up, judging from their presence by his side up till now. Hinata didn’t seem to care at all about the ‘what’s and ‘why’s as long as he could keep flying. But the rest…

With a deep exhale, he clutched Asahi’s hand tightly, and walked through the airlock and turned toward the command center.

Ten people turned to face him, patiently awaiting their captain’s arrival. “Look who finally made it,” Suga teased, patting Daichi’s open spot at the table beside him.

Daichi smirked back, holding up his and Asahi’s laced fingers just high enough for Suga to see. “I was distracted by a handsome stranger.”

Asahi hid his face behind his other hand with an embarrassed groan, much to Daichi’s satisfaction and Suga’s giggling delight. 

Daichi kissed Asahi’s knuckle before letting go of his hand and taking the last few steps to the end of the table. 

He took a leisurely, sweeping glance around. All but Kageyama and Tsukishima still at the hospital were there, ready for the mission Daichi had in store: Tanaka and Nishinoya, loud and rowdy and reliable; Ennoshita, more crucial than he realized, a hole that was was harder to fill in his absence than Daichi led on; Narita and Kinoshita, the engineer and pilot not as flashy as the others but as talented and valuable as the rest; Yamaguchi, his shots saving their asses more than Yamaguchi would admit; Yachi, her guidance keeping them calm, keeping them steady; Shimizu, quiet and dependable above all, with her the team never had to worry about anything other than the missions ahead; and Asahi and Suga, by his side until the end. 

_ I’ll miss this team. _

“Alright, team. I hope you’re all ready to rescue the Grand King.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a little asadaisuga drabble, set after the massacre:
> 
> PAST.000001 ---{ Asahi / Daichi / Suga }
> 
> “Sawamura, may I ask a question?”
> 
> “Go ahead, Sugawara.”
> 
> “Where is Azumane?”
> 
> “I have no idea.”
> 
> “When will he be back?”
> 
> “Whenever he’s ready.”
> 
> -
> 
> When Daichi opens the door, Asahi’s almost as pale as the snowflakes settling in his hair. The crimson painting across his cheeks and nose is vibrant, and Daichi hopes his sniffling and the matching red lining his eyes is result of the chill’s wrath, too. “Good timing. I just finished boiling water for tea.”
> 
> Before Daichi can step aside to let him in, Asahi grabs him, strong arms weakly wrapped around his shoulders. It’s bittersweet to hold Asahi back; he finds himself wanting to hold Asahi more and more, aches when his arms are empty. But he doesn’t want it like this, not with Asahi’s cold nose buried against his neck, not with tears trickling hot down to his collarbone, not with Asahi silently tremoring in his embrace. “C’mon, Asahi,” he says tenderly, running his fingers through brown waves damp with melting snowflakes, “let’s get some tea to warm you up.”
> 
> -
> 
> “Sawamura-kun, may I ask a question?”
> 
> “You know you can me ask anything.”
> 
> “Do you know where Azumane-kun has gone this time?”
> 
> “Nope.”
> 
> “Do you know when he’ll be back?”
> 
> “Whenever he’s ready.”
> 
> -
> 
> When Daichi opens the door, he notices that Asahi is beginning to bloom again. The color has returned to his face like the green returning to the trees and the grass, and the light of his eyes is shining as gently as the morning sun. “Oh, Asahi. I was just about to go get some ice cream. Let’s go.”
> 
> Asahi is slow to consider, but that’s okay - spring needs to take its time shaking off the ruthless winter. 
> 
> He misses Asahi’s hair between his fingers, and he finds the perfect excuse to do it again; he bends over to pluck a yellow orchid swaying by Asahi’s feet, and he brushes Asahi’s hair behind his ear with the back of his fingers before tucking the flower there.
> 
> Asahi’s smile blossoms like the orchids and cosmos in the yard welcoming him home. He gingerly takes Daichi’s hand in his own. “Let’s go.”
> 
> -
> 
> “Daichi, where do you think Asahi is now?”
> 
> “Who knows. Probably off in some mountains.”
> 
> “Until he’s ready?”
> 
> “Until he’s ready.”
> 
> “....I miss him.”
> 
> “I do too, Suga.”
> 
> -
> 
> When Daichi opens the door, he recognizes the man watching him fondly on the other side. This, this is his Asahi. Eyes as warm as his skin kissed by the summer sun, smile as carefree as his flyaway hairs dried by the ocean. He’s carrying the calm liveliness like the evening’s low tide again, gentle waves of relief washing over Daichi. “Hey, Asahi. Dinner’s almost ready.”
> 
> Asahi searches Daichi’s eyes as if he’s done it countless times before, reaches over to brush his fingers through Daichi’s hair as if he’s done it countless times before, leans down close as if he’s done it countless times before. His lips on Daichi’s are as soft as the faint scent of the beach he carries with him and as warm as the fingertips on Daichi’s nape. He breaks away slowly to rest his head on Daichi’s shoulder, facing Suga’s console. “I missed you two.”  
> -
> 
> **Remember that chapters 16 and 17 are up, too! - > **


	16. leader

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seven men donned in white stepped through with Iwaizumi leading the way, turquoise straps and accents lining their polished armor, each of their faces familiar.
> 
> Eerily familiar.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **[07/14/17: Part 2 of 3 for final update!]**
> 
>  
> 
> Make sure you didn't skip chapter 15!  
>  
> 
> **Warnings:** Things get heated at [+], and the real NSFW begins at [+++]. To skip, head to [---]. If you do read, just a warning, there's some bondage going on.
> 
> Word count: 10,136  
> [ Adele - Skyfall](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DeumyOzKqgI)

If Chikara’s life since he joined Karasuno was a movie, this would be the grand finale: the last twelve minutes where the producers threw 90% of their budget into flashy shots and crazy effects over dramatic scores as the good guys saved the galaxy.

Chikara would have preferred that over this mission; in the movies, the good guys always won, and their goal was a bit less morally gray than rescuing the king of blackmail.

They’d look a lot cooler battling with explosions going on in the background, too.

“This one’s all on you, Chikara. You ready?”

* * *

The hours spent making their way to the rendezvous point with Seijou was a different sort of wild ride than he was expecting.

“How long do you plan on doing this?”

Ryuu’s breath teased over the pulse point of his jaw before placing another torturously gentle, openmouthed kiss. “Mmm. Whole ride.”

Hopefully the team could find a new infiltrator in time for the mission, because no doubt Chikara would be nothing more than a puddle by then. At least the bed was comfortable enough to hold his liquid form.

Wasn’t so bad to be pinned down to, either.

It was only a matter of time before Ryuu found a more… creative use for the cuffs; Chikara would have placed bets on it if he had anyone to bet with. (“Hey, Daichi-san, two hundred credits Ryuu’s into bondage?” was a conversation he wasn’t really itching to have.) Honestly, he’d been prepared to turn the idea down, but with his hands pinned above his head, and Ryuu straddled over his waist placing another soft, openmouthed kiss on his neck, he was perfectly content with letting Ryuu do as he pleased to his shirtless torso.

“Hey, Chikara,” Ryuu began, his teeth gently grazing over the skin, “Seijou’s supposed to be some big bad, right? But Iwaizumi-san said they stopped corruption and stuff like that.”

Chikara blinked up at the ceiling, focusing his attention on a particular nick in the steel before the lips on his neck dragged him into a haze too early. “Talk secrets to me” wasn’t really what he had in mind for foreplay, but if Ryuu was having any doubts, there wasn’t going to be another opportunity to discuss it. “I can’t say, honestly,” he replied, and wow, he hadn’t expected his voice to sound so thick already. His gaze traveled to the wall, Saeko’s napkin drawings held up by magnets and covering most of the divider separating their room from the empty one that was technically Asahi’s. “They didn’t do a great job with Yamaoka, if they knew about it.” They didn’t know about his death until Chikara put the pieces together in a matter of minutes on his laptop, either, so he was beginning to doubt their cleverness. In their defense, he’d been around Daichi enough to catch that lead. “Maybe they got involved a few times when it was only relevant to them.”

Ryuu kissed the line of his jaw, a gesture more sweet than erotic, and Chikara decided he’d be just as content getting showered with those kisses, too. “So it was all big talk?”

“I don’t think so. I’m sure they’ve done some good with all they know. And with the way they work, we’d never know about it. But they do more harm than good. On an individual level, at least.”

He realized he was lying to himself about being content with just that when Ryuu placed another kiss by his Adam's apple, with the cruelest flick of tongue before Ryuu spoke. “But they snitch on cheaters and shit like that, don’t they? How’s that bad?”

“They snitch on whoever for whatever to the highest bidder,” he managed to say before another flick of tongue threatened to steal his voice and his wit alike. “They would have sold your sister’s address to those researchers as long as they got their money.”

Ryuu shifted to lean up on an elbow, eyes narrow, and for once Chikara was regretting being blunt. He wasn’t exactly in a position to nudge Ryuu’s head back towards his neck. “They’d sink that low?”

“I’ve seen them do worse. I think the only reason they didn’t do the same for government issues - yet - is because it would be more trouble than the money they’d make off of it. Keep kissing my neck.”

“Yes, sir,” Ryuu had the gall to purr before he sank back down, his bare chest hot against Chikara’s as he leaned his weight on him, his breath even hotter as it teased his neck again.

**[+]**

Chikara’s neck was already covered in a few fresh hickeys and bite marks - the right side, anyway, Ryuu driving Chikara mad bit by bit on his slow prowl to the left.

Ryuu placed a softer kiss over his adam’s apple. “Had a dream ‘bout this once,” he mumbled before he oh so gently nipped a sliver of skin above Chikara’s adam’s apple between his lips.

Chikara’s throat felt tight when he swallowed hard, tighter than the turtlenecks that he needed now to keep his dignity intact if he was ever going to leave their room again. Though the ‘leaving the room’ part was debatable; he had a feeling there’d be nothing left of his sanity by the time Ryuu was done with him. “What happened in it?” he struggled to ask over the tightness.

“You were tied up.” Ryuu grazed his teeth a little to the left of his adam’s apple. “You were givin’ me them bedroom eyes you got goin’ on now.” He nipped a sliver of skin on his way over. “You were wearin’ a catsuit. Black latex allllll over.” He sucked this time, for only a second or two, just long enough to draw a sigh from Chikara. “You should get one’a those.”

“Don’t count on it,” Chikara replied with a light, breathy laugh that interrupted itself with a sigh when Ryuu sucked again.

“You were some big, bad thief, and I was a superhero,” Ryuu continued his tale before he pinched a bit of skin between his teeth, and Chikara couldn’t stop the weak moan bubbling in his throat. “I caught ya, so you tried flirtin’ your way outta trouble.” Ryuu pushed himself up just enough to reach Chikara’s lips, nipping the bottom one between slow pecks. “Then you looked me in the eye,” Ryuu did the same, his gaze locked onto Chikara’s, and if all this Connected kissing wasn’t slowing his heart it would be beating out of his chest, “and you said,” Ryuu’s lips lingered over his own, gray eyes watching his, “‘I want you, Robo-Dragon.’”

_“Pffffttt.”_ Chikara wasn’t the least bit embarrassed about basically blowing raspberries against Ryuu’s lips - Ryuu made an ass of himself enough for the both of them. “You can unlink the cuffs now, the mood is gone.”

“C’mon, don’t be like that,” Ryuu laughed back, stealing a quick peck, and then a slower one, and Chikara was just a little bit weak for each.

“I’ll need a lot of convincing.”

“You say that like you ain’t easy to convince,” Ryuu hummed as he lowered his head back down, and Chikara was already certain Ryuu would have him quivering in no time at all.

**[+++]**

Ryuu made his way back to where he left off on the trail of slow kisses and nips on Chikara’s neck, tracing the dip in his neck with his tongue. Chikara sucked in a sharp breath, and its exhale was shaky as Ryuu slowly licked his way back up. Another nip, another kiss, another bite as he made his way left, and down, and up again, reducing Chikara to nothing more than heavy breaths and sighs slowly becoming weak whimpers, and one blatant whine when Ryuu pulled away.

Ryuu had the nerve to smirk at him before he lowered his head to kiss his neck again, so gently that it almost tickled, so gently that Chikara threw his head back to lean into the second kiss, so gently that Chikara hissed a quiet _“Fuck”_ under his breath after the third.

Ryuu was cruel, continuing his slow path down, punishing each of Chikara’s attempts to get closer with kisses so soft that his lips were hardly touching the skin anymore - but Chikara could feel the vibrations of his raspy chuckles, and that was even worse than the hint of lips. Chikara jerked at the the cuffs holding him down, helpless to them, helpless to the man on top of him. “Ryuu, _please.”_

“‘Please’ what, Chikara?” he hummed back, his voice as thick as the haze fogging Chikara’s mind.

“I- I don’t know,” Chikara whimpered back, jerking at the cuffs again in his desperation to grab Ryuu to hold him, touch him, grind against him, _anything._ “More, I need more of you,” he whined, panting.

Ryuu sucked at the far side of his neck, lips and tongue and teeth before he pulled away again. “We’ll need, uh,” he cleared his throat, unsuccessfully, voice still deep and raspy and taunting Chikara, “we’ll need a safeword or somethin’ if we’re gonna use these, right?” he asked, bringing one hand up to cover a cuff.

Chikara narrowly fought the urge to tell him _‘No, use me however you want’,_ instead looking down to where Ryuu was straddled over his waist. “How about…” he took in a breath or three to steady his voice. “How about ‘Robo-Dragon’?”

“Eh?! You’d-”

“I heard a safeword was supposed to be a turnoff.”

“Ass.”

Ryuu was smirking despite it, leaning down to kiss him again, nipping Chikara’s lip to part them and deepen the kiss. Ryuu’s kiss was lazy, as slow and teasing as the grind of his hips that made the both of them moan. With another grind, another moan, Ryuu broke the kiss to sit up and rest his hands on Chikara’s chest.

His heavy-lidded stare down at Chikara held a hint of curiosity, searching Chikara’s face as he slowly grinded against him. And again. And again. “You like that, huh?”

“Mm, mhm,” was all Chikara could mumble back, with a clumsy attempt to thrust up against him.

Ryuu gave a last slow wave of his hips before getting off of him. “I’ve got an idea.”

Chikara closed his eyes, focusing on his heavy breaths and the sound of shuffling nearby instead of the ache at Ryuu’s absence until he felt Ryuu’s hand back on his abs. Calloused fingertips trailed their way down till they met the hem of his pants, making quick work of the button and zipper. He opened his eyes again as he lifted his waist for Ryuu to pull his pants off, biting his lip as he watched Ryuu take off his own pants off quickly and with no particular flair.

Whatever Ryuu’s idea was, Chikara already decided he was going to love it when Ryuu poured lube into his hand and coated two of his fingers with it. “Let me help,” he mumbled, lightly pulling at the cuffs when Ryuu reached behind himself.

Ryuu grunted in disagreement, followed by a sharp inhale as his fingers went somewhere Chikara couldn’t see. He bent over, steadying his weight on his other arm to lean his face close to Chikara’s groin. The sight of Ryuu reaching back, fingering himself just out of view with his lips dangerously close to Chikara’s erection was the cruelest form of torture Chikara could imagine. But Ryuu showed him mercy, a lazy lick up the shaft on his way to kiss the head that made Chikara whimper and arch his back, the wet tongue and hot breath reliefs beyond compare.

There was one place Ryuu liked to kiss more than his neck, and it made Chikara wish refractory times weren’t a thing because every little thing he did with his mouth was sublime. With his tongue flat, he licked up slowly, the vibrations from his content moan making Chikara shiver. When he finally reached the tip, he gave it a wet kiss like the ones he lavished all over Chikara’s neck, then another, and another, with a satisfaction in his heavy eyes that made Chikara wonder which one of them was enjoying this more. Ryuu swirled his tongue over the tip of Chikara’s cock, sloppily tracing around the head and licking the bead of precum threatening to drip down with the last of Chikara’s coherency. When he pulled away, Chikara tugged helplessly at the cuffs, whining nothing coherent and trying to thrust back towards him.

“Relax, I gotcha.” Ryuu pulled his hand from behind him, wrapping a leg over Chikara’s waist to straddle him again. “Y-you wanna go like this?”

“Please,” Chikara whined again; he’d want to go any way, honestly, but Ryuu on top of him was nothing short of divine.

Ryuu rolled the condom down Chikara’s cock before pouring lube over it and situating himself above. He took hold of Chikara’s cock, a firm grasp that Chikara barely resisted the urge to thrust into, and lined it up to his ass. “You ready?”

Chikara nodded dumbly, the anticipation catching his breath and making his legs tremble.

Ryuu sank down with a deep, satisfied moan until he was taking Chikara’s cock completely; Chikara’s moan was far less graceful, choked with a sharp breath. Ryuu above him was stunning, perfect in every detail - handsome face, perfectly sculpted body, toned thighs, and piercing eyes watching the way he trembled. Chikara wanted to touch it all, to massage his thighs, caress his nipples, stroke his cock, but all he could do was give the cuffs another defeated jerk, endlessly teased with it all so close but so far.

Chikara tried to thrust up, clumsy with no hands to grip Ryuu’s hips. “You sit back and let me do all the work,” Ryuu said huskily as he moved his hips up, and then back down, resting his hands on Chikara’s chest to hold himself up.

Ryuu was beautiful to watch, from the sharp teeth biting his lip to the twitch of his cock as he rode, slow but steady waves of his hips. “Mm, Chikara,” he hummed as he sank back down as low as he could, as deep as he could, “you’re so good,” and again, “so good,” his panting evident in the heavy rise and fall of his chest.

With another grind down, Ryuu’s arms began to shake, his composure shaking with it. Whimpering on his way up, throwing his head back with a low groan on his way down, Ryuu’s pace got clumsier instead of faster as he rode. Chikara wasn’t doing any better - between the warmth and tightness swallowing him, and the sight of Ryuu falling apart on top of his cock, he was barely hanging on.

“Chikara,” Ryuu whimpered as he lifted a hand from Chikara’s chest to stroke his leaking cock instead. “Chikara,” he stroked down, “Chikara,” his thighs began to quiver, his knees squeezing Chikara’s sides, _“Chikara,”_ he choked on a sob, “I’m gonna- _Ah...”_

Chikara could feel all of his lust and tension coiling under Ryuu, pulling every inch, every muscle of his body tight until he was quivering like the tanned thighs squeezing him. “Ry- _Ah-_ Ryuu, do it, come for me.”

Ryuu stroked faster, sank down further, trembled harder, again and again until finally Chikara’s tension broke. His hips bucked weakly as his climax overwhelmed him as Ryuu’s did, every pulse of his orgasm synced with Ryuu’s, Ryuu spurt over his stomach as he came, moaning deep and low as he rode out the last of their orgasms unsteadily.

Chikara breathed in heavily, relief washing over his body, but not without some regret that he couldn’t have Ryuu ride him for, say, a few more hours, maybe a few days. “We’re doing that again some time.”

“Guess you like those handcuffs after all,” Ryuu panted back, smirking down at him.

“Maybe a little.” Chikara failed to hold back his grin when Ryuu stuck his tongue out at him. “How long do we have before we arrive?”

Ryuu squinted at the clock squished between this and that on top of the dresser. “‘Bout an hour.”

Chikara sighed in defeat. _No time for a nap._ “Uncuff me so we can shower.”

“Can’t take a nap first?”

“Ryuu.”

“Alright, alright.”

**[---]**

* * *

Secret rendezvous in the middle of nowhere with agents of Seijou were thrilling once upon a time. Particularly when said meetings usually ended in sex. As it turned out, getting dumped (or whatever the equivalent of dumping in a fling was) made them somewhat less appealing two years ago. Blackmailing the captain didn't help much this time, either.

Still, Chikara couldn't help the excitement bubbling in his chest and curling the corners of his lips when the familiar _woosh_ of the airlock announced the arrival of the enigmatic organization the galaxy believed was no more than a myth.

Seven men donned in white stepped through with Iwaizumi leading the way, turquoise straps and accents lining their polished armor, each of their faces familiar.

Eerily familiar.

“Ah. So there’s where he went,” Tsukishima remarked as his eyes fell on the Wakutani nurse that Chikara recognized from his chip procedure, a man with a bored stare on a young face lazily glancing around the command center.

“Hey, it’s _that_ asshole,” Ryuu practically shouted in his ear, and for a moment Chikara thought he meant Yahaba until he noticed the shorter man beside him with the unmistakable stripe of black running through his blond hair.

“Wasn’t he a security guard at Neko- Stop provoking him, we need to work with them,” Chikara huffed, grabbing Ryuu’s outstretched arm by the wrist to tug it back down to his side.

Ryuu’s armored hand refused to let go of his, a thankfully loose grip around his fingers. “Yup. Was wonderin’ why we didn’t see him. Turnip-kun’s familiar, too.”

“Oh, he does look like a turnip!” Asahi agreed, he and Daichi looking equally surprised and impressed.

“He was with the Johzenji mercs,” Kiyoko told the captain, her gaze cast at the man with an almost pinkish brown hair.

“You’re right. I recognize him from the Playground,” Daichi replied. Chikara neglected to tell them that the taller man beside the supposed mercenary worked at the transport station; he wasn’t eager to recall the time he bought all those tickets to hide his tracks. “Is this everyone?” Daichi asked Iwaizumi as he approached Seijou’s stand-in leader.

“All that are joining us.”

Daichi and Chikara glanced at each other before Daichi continued. “We’ll need as many hands on board as-”

“This is all you’re getting. Whether this fails or not is on your shoulders,” Iwaizumi stated flatly in return. “Our doctor is following with a shuttle in case we need the extra medical help. That’s it.”

“Alright.” Daichi raised a brow at Chikara as he turned to gesture down the hall for Iwaizumi. _Different details, same plan._ “Let’s go over the strategy in the command center.”

* * *

The command center was stuffy with all the new, out-of-place additions brooding around the table with their team. Their table wasn’t meant to fit too many, and Chikara realized now that he liked it that way - not because of some lone-wolf complex, but because everyone on their team had their part to play. Everyone had their expertise, something they could do that nobody else could do quite like them. Each of their fighters, each of their engineers, even the pilots and management were all irreplaceable members of the team, each offering something unique that kept the ship sailing from victory to victory.

The extra half-dozen bodies crowding around felt impersonal. “You have a plan ready?”

Daichi nodded to Iwaizumi. “We do. Suga, could you pull up the ship model, please?” From the open center of the table, the holographic display of Seijou’s dreadnought popped up; it was supposedly as large as Shiratorizawa’s, and looking at it now knowing he’d be fighting through it soon, Chikara decided it was just as intimidating. The holographic version was less so, at least with Suga’s doll ‘surfing’ on it. “The servers and the security room are starboard,” Daichi pointed at the ship’s bow as he continued. “We’re assuming Oikawa is there. Kageyama won’t be able to give us a specific location, but he should be able to confirm which side of the ship he’s on, at least.”

“Is Kageyama coming?” Turnip-kun asked with… disdain or wistfulness, Chikara honestly couldn’t tell which.

“He’s not a fighter. He’s going to get us close and tell us what he can, but he’ll be staying onboard,” Daichi replied with a firmness that begged _I dare you to challenge me on this._ When Turnip-kun swallowed hard instead of responding, Daichi continued, “We need to spread their people thin. We don’t know how many to expect, but we know there was enough to run all of Seijou out of their ship. There are six entrances, three along each side.” Six points of the ship’s hologram lit up on their cue, spread out in symmetrical sets of three. “The distraction team we’re meeting is going to hit these four, first.” Four various points flashed yellow. “We’ll wait about twelve minutes before we hit these three.” Three more points flashed orange, two of the spots now alternating between the two warm shades. “When we call for it, Ennoshita will come in from the port bow entrance and sneak across to the control room.” A star twinkled over the top left point, a shining reminder him of his significance in this mission. “Stay near the entrances. Wade in just enough to avoid suspicion - the goal is to distract them from Ennoshita and Tanaka.”

Turnip-kun leaned his weight on his hands over the table, head tilted as he looked over the hologram. “Why those entrances? There’s no pattern.”

“Exactly.” Chikara almost instinctively stepped back when too many eyes looked his way. He quietly cleared his throat instead. “If we catch them off guard, they won’t know where to send their people. The closer entrance will likely be heavily guarded, so I’ll take a longer way from the opposite side. We can easily rotate the points if Oikawa-san’s somewhere else on the ship, too.”

“Speaking of catching off guard,” Iwaizumi began, eyes boring into the ship display intently, searching for someone who wasn’t there, “you never mentioned a distraction team.”

Daichi grinned with a degree of satisfaction. “We’re not the only ones with a grudge against Daishou.”

The ship disappeared, and the hologram of a familiar mercenary grinning mischievously popped up in its place. “Hanamaki, is that you? You dirty traitor!” Terushima chimed, sounding about as upset as a parent reading his kid’s flawless report card.

Hanamaki gave a small wave back. “Captain.”

“Tanaka will jump through Ennoshita’s point at the second wave,” Daichi continued. “When it’s clear enough, Ennoshita will jump on, and Tanaka will escort him to the security room. From there, he’ll do what he usually does: look for the captive and use the security system to our advantage.”

“Will the captive be safe once the attack starts?” Tsukishima asked from his spot beside the Wakutani nurse. It was a shame the two weren’t coworkers anymore, Chikara decided; they looked rather comfortable in their mutual apathy together.

“Only Tooru can access all of the files on the ship,” Iwaizumi answered, his voice unwavering, but enough of something there for the taller, dark-haired man beside him to catch and pat his shoulder to console him. “They need him alive and unharmed. If they haven't hurt him yet, that shouldn’t change.”

“We’ll strike as quickly as we can,” Daichi reassured him. “Once Ennoshita gets into the control room, we finish the job. Iwaizumi and I will get to Oikawa, Ennoshita and Tanaka will destroy the servers, then we all get out.”

Iwaizumi narrowed his eyes at Daichi. “We never agreed to destroy the servers.”

Daichi stared back, folding his arms and refusing to stand down. “The deal was to get Oikawa back safely. We’re going to incapacitate all that we can, we’re getting Oikawa, we’re taking out the servers, then we’re tipping off Dateko to come and arrest them.”

“You’re forgetting why you’re doing this.”

“No, I haven’t forgotten at all. That’s why no one is dying today, on either side. If you’d rather call this off now and tell Cassardis what I did instead, be my guest.”

Chikara blamed his profuse sweating on the stealth suit hugging his form. If looks could kill, the ship would be a graveyard. Thankfully, Iwaizumi spoke up before Chikara decided to activate the suit’s stealth system and get the hell out of dodge. “Fine. Let’s get this over with.”

* * *

“Are you okay, Kageyama?”

The engineer was looking at the engine in front of him, but his gaze was far beyond, his words just as wispy and distant. “I can feel him.”

Iwaizumi pushed past Daichi and Yahaba to get to Kageyama as if they were nothing more than strangers in a crowd. The relief in his voice was a relief to Chikara, too; between owning the most expensive casino in the galaxy to co-leading a secret organization that had turned his team’s lives upside down, it was easy to forget that under the shiny, white armor was just a man like the rest of them. “He’s alive?”

Kageyama gave Iwaizumi a quick but confident nod before he turned back to the engine. “I can take us to him. He’s… this way.” Kageyama pointed up and to the right, past the engine, past the ship, miles and miles away.

Daichi blinked at him, he and Narita looking as baffled as Chikara felt. “It really worked,” Daichi nearly whispered, as wistful as Kageyama’s gaze before he cleared his throat. “Kageyama, go to the cockpit and coordinate with Hinata and Kinoshita. Narita will stay down here.” He turned to Chikara and Yahaba. “Once we reach the ship, we’ll send the coordinates to Johzenji. They can’t stealth like we can, so the attack starts the moment they arrive. Be ready.”

* * *

Watching Kageyama point their way across space was… well, Chikara wasn’t sure what it was. Everything at this point felt completely unreal, like one of those dreams he’d get if he ate something sweet before bed. Kageyama and Hinata bickering while Kageyama casually pointed out the Grand King from hundreds of thousands of miles away, Johzenji following their trail, some guy he once saw at the transport station chatting it up with a businessman known across the galaxy in the shuttle over, and worst of all, Yahaba was only a few feet away. Wearing armor that looked too similar to Chikara’s for his liking.

“Are you admiring me, or the suit?”

“How did you get that?” Alright, he could admit it - he was bitter. He _worked_ for his stealth suit, damn it. Stealing from Nekoma was his most challenging solo job by far, and trying to get it custom tailored to fit him was- _Damn it,_ he had Yahaba help pull the right strings to get it fit in secret. _I should have expected that to bite me in the ass someday._ “Do you even know how to use it?”

Yahaba gave him a self-satisfied, irritating smirk. “I know how it works.”

“I know how an electric screwdriver works, doesn’t mean I know how to build a house with it,” Chikara muttered back, glancing around the small shuttle instead of seeing that smirk a second longer. The Nekoma security guard sat beside Yahaba, tensely silent, - _Has he said anything at all?_ \- and Kinoshita sat in the pilot chair, his occasional clicks of buttons and whirs of the holographic panel floating through the shuttle.

“I don’t need to know how to sneak around like a rat when I have this,” Yahaba quipped back, and Chikara was starting to understand Daichi’s fascination with threats involving the airlock. “I’m coming with you to rescue Oikawa-san.”

“No way. If you get caught-”

“You _really_ think I’m going to trust Karasuno without question? Kyoutani and I are following you and your boyfriend. End of story.”

Any arguments Chikara could shoot back were swept away with his attention when Seijou’s stolen dreadnought came into view from the shuttle’s window. Karasuno’s cruiser felt like an ant in comparison to the white steel stretched across a mile and a half. Seijou was lucky - at least, until now - that space was expansive beyond anyone’s imagination; hiding heat emissions may have hidden them from radars, but unlike Karasuno’s small cruiser, there was no hiding that sight if someone decided to look out a window.

“Johzenji will be here in twelve point four minutes,” Suga announced over the intercom.

Twelve point four minutes, and Chikara’s not-so-cinematic mission climax would begin. Instead of fighting some over-the-top battle with explosions highlighting his silhouette, he’d be sneaking across corridors to look for buttons to press. While everyone else was trading shots with enemies and trading encouragements to each other or whatever it was the fighters did, he’d be playing with door controls and maybe get to mess around with a turret or two.

But he had a flashy ending in mind.

“This one’s all on you, Chikara. You ready?”

Briefed on the mission to the very last detail, scenarios for every possible deviation imagined, all armored up sans helmet - there was only one real answer to Ryuu’s question. “When you put it like that, not one bit.” This was a horrible time to get a wedgie, too.

“Ha!” Ryuu pulled Chikara against him, though it would be more accurate to say Chikara tripped on his own feet and fell into Ryuu’s arms. “You got this, and you know it. ‘Sides, I know you’re excited. Can’t hide it from me.”

“If my heart is racing, there’s this thing called nerves-”

Ryuu kissed him before he could finish, grinning against his lips before pulling away. “Smartass. It’s ‘cause you’re a crazy adrenaline junkie.” _He can’t be too far off if my biggest concern is that it won’t look cool._ Ryuu kissed his ear next, making the most obnoxiously loud smacking noise he could manage.

If Chikara’s life since he joined Karasuno was a movie, his not-so-romantic introduction to his love interest was as unreal to remember as the rest of the absurdity going on around them. He remembered them arguing over- _What_ were _we arguing over? Gods, we were probably arguing for the sake of arguing-_ while a simulated fire engulfed the room around them, he remembered wondering if they’d play out his favorite cliche of rivals working together to escape and forming an unbreakable bond that would last through every sequel and well past the series’ epilogue. He remembered Ryuu doing the complete opposite of escaping and throwing any chance for classic cliches, as well as the last of Chikara’s wit, into the fire.

And here they were now - Chikara trying to shove Ryuu away by his face, Ryuu squishing his cheek against Chikara’s palm and making obnoxious kissy noises.

_“Johzenji’s here! Shuttles, to your points!”_

The shuttle sped out of the loading bay airlock, and ahead half a dozen ships of yellow stole the spotlight. Their small cannons shooting at the dreadnought were as powerful as slingshotting pebbles at a tank, but the fireworks display was the perfect cover for Kinoshita to weave their tiny shuttle through.

Two dark green flags displaying coiled snakes stood proudly and defiantly on each side of the emergency entrance too small for a landing pad; the word ‘Nohebi’ scrawled across them slithered with the snakes as the flags waved.

A yellow shuttle beat them to the entrance, four armored-up mercenaries jumping out and cheering something or other as they shot at the door until it opened for them before they burst through the entrance and out of sight as quickly as they appeared.

“Put on your helmet, Ryuu. You’re going in as soon as they call for it.”

“Not till I get this.” His grip around Chikara’s wrist was surprisingly gentle as he pulled him forward, and his kiss was even softer - too soft for Chikara, the infiltrator reaching for the back of Ryuu’s head to pull him closer, rough lips muffling Ryuu’s surprised but pleased gasp. “Love ya,” Ryuu mumbled against their lips before stealing another quick peck.

Chikara stole another quick kiss before pulling away. “I love you, too. Now put on your helmet and go kick some ass for me.”

“Yes, sir!”

The moment their helmets were strapped on, Daichi’s command came through the comm. _“Wave two, go!”_

Ryuu pat Chikara’s shoulder before he and the agent that Yahaba called ‘Kyoutani’ jumped out of the shuttle, following the mercenaries’ path through the blasted open doorway.

Kinoshita pulled up a holographic monitor to cover the right side of the shuttle’s main window, the view from Ryuu’s armor’s camera showing the fighting just past the doors. From Ryuu’s position, a few people in armor laid unconscious on the ground, five in green and two in yellow. There were two standing in green shooting at Ryuu and Kyoutani, but Chikara wasn’t the least bit worried; with Ryuu’s skill and heavy armor, they’d need a lot more than two idiots to take him out.

“Ryuu knows where I am to cover me, but he can’t do the same for you,” Chikara warned Yahaba, equal parts genuine concern and bragging about having an advantage. “These suits aren’t meant to take hits. One shot takes us out of cover, and they can’t withstand much after that.”

Yahaba’s stare behind his helmet was locked onto the screen, the skirmish meeting its swift end and the camera catching sight of the Seijou agent beside Ryuu. “You're not the only one with a Connected watching his back.”

“Oh. ... _Oh.”_ Chikara blinked at Yahaba, then at the screen. _I wonder if that’s why he- No, not sure I want to know._ “Without the chip, you can't-”

“Stop worrying about me. It’s…” Yahaba sounded… something, something Chikara hadn't heard from him before. Maybe concern. Or maybe Chikara was going insane, and somewhere in the real world, he was taking a stroll through a padded cell. “Do your job and stop worrying about mine.”

“I need to worry. We’re on the same side.” _For now._ “Take these with you. They’re the best way of taking someone out without alerting them.”

Yahaba took the capped tranquilizer needles Chikara handed him, pocketing them in a satchel strapped to his belt without any words of gratitude.

Three beeps in rapid succession chimed through the comm, beckoning their arrival, and the two nodded to each other before they both activated their stealth suits. Chikara had to admit, watching Yahaba’s suit was significantly satisfying, and not just because it was conveniently hiding Yahaba from his view. What looked like hundreds of thousands of glossy tiles flipped and hid the agent of Seijou out of sight piece by quick piece, all the little clicks equally satisfying to his ears - Chikara may or may not have watched his own suit do the same in a mirror a few dozen times when he first got it.

_Lights, camera, action._

Past the slithering flags, past the broken door, the corridor that lay behind was quiet, empty save for the few passed out on the ground. _Ryuu’s waiting around the corner._

As much as Ryuu was supposed to guard him, Chikara had to do the same - taking out cameras along the path so no one caught their advances. “Ryuu, stay put until I’ve dismantled the security,” he told him through the comm, turning the corner in time to see Ryuu nod back in his direction.

_The lack of people here is a bad sign,_ Chikara wondered to himself as he waved a device Kuroo gave him over the first camera to “pause” the feed. He turned another corner, another empty corridor greeting him. “Clear to this point, Ryuu. There’s no one ahead so far.”

Another camera, another empty corridor, plenty of Yahaba’s clunky footsteps to fill the silence. _‘I know how to use this’ my ass._ “The server room and security room should be just up ahead.”

“I’ll look for Oikawa-san in the server room.”

“Wait, Yahaba.” _It was too easy to get here._ “Let’s stick together.”

“But Oika-”

“We can see him from the security room.” Chikara glanced over at Ryuu and Kyoutani. “Their kinetic shields should be recharged by now, but that won’t be enough if we split up and get outnumbered. Daishou’s not going to leave either of those rooms unguarded. Don’t forget that he has a stealth suit, too.”

“Don’t sound too jealous,” Yahaba teased.

“I’m not!” _I pull off my best heist to get this, then suddenly everyone has one._

“Suuure,” Yahaba quipped back. He was quiet for a moment afterward, only the sound of his heavy feet shuffling against the steel flooring. “Fine. Let’s go.”

In the movies, this type of scene was one Chikara swore he hated from a personal standpoint - the scene with no music, where the protagonist and his team walked through the eerily empty corridor on high alert, every clink of heavy armor echoing through the hall scraping off a few minutes of his lifespan.

“It’s too quiet,” Chikara thought aloud, filling the silence as if he was back in his lonely cell again.

_“I can fix that for you~”_ Suga sing-songed. _"Hm, what's your favorite movie?"_

"What does that have to do with-"

"It's 'Stolen Memory'," Ryuu interrupted quietly.

_"Loading: 'Stolen Memory' official soundtrack."_ A familiar tune floated through the comm, a piece from a scene he was particularly fond of. _Nice choice, Suga-san._

"Sounds good," Ryuu whispered. "...We should watch this together later."

Yahaba _tch’d._ “Can we stop with the shitty flirting?”

_“If you think that’s bad, you should hear what Daichi told me about the shooting range the other day,”_ Suga quipped over the comm.

“Why are you ganging up on- Wait.” Chikara stopped quickly, barely sidestepping in time to avoid Ryuu crashing into him. “Stay here. I’ll check ahead.”

The hallway was significantly less harrowing with a little music, syncing his careful steps to the beat as he walked ahead, waving Kuroo’s device at the two cameras along the path until he reached the closed door to the security room.

Chikara pulled a steel cube about the size of the palm of his hand from his small satchel. He rotated it between his fingers until it was speaker-side up, fiddled with the dial, and clicked the button beside the dial.

An obnoxiously loud creaking sound played from it, scratching his ears and overrunning Chikara’s music, much to his dismay. _Here’s hoping this works._

“What the hell is that?” a voice on the other side asked before the gods answered Chikara’s prayers and the door slid open.

The man eyeing the hall suspiciously was maybe an inch taller than Chikara, give or take, with a blond undercut that reminded Chikara of an unkempt version of Terushima’s. _I like this guy’s hair better._ “Where is it coming from?” He stepped a little past the doorway, enough that Chikara could slip past and inside. “You hear that too, right, Kuguri?”

‘Kuguri’ sat on a crate, his bored gaze sliding up to Chikara’s direction. “It got louder in here, Numai-san.”

“Shit, I think you’re right. It sounded like it went by me.”

Chikara swallowed hard as he turned the volume dial slowly, the creaking fading before it disappeared.

Numai walked back into the security room, the door sliding shut behind him. “Guess the ship’s creaky.”

Kuguri continued to look in his direction, his blank stare hard to read before he finally spoke. “I don’t think that’s it.”

_Shit._ Chikara stepped closer to the security console, carefully, quietly, his heart pounding in his chest the only sound he could hear.

_“You alright, Chikara?”_

_I can’t use the console without these two catching on, anyways._ “I need backup. There’s two in here with me.” He glanced over them quickly, eyeing the guns strapped to their hips, his eyes landing on Numai’s right hand covered in a bandage instead of a gauntlet. “They’re armed, but one of them is injured. They’re not wearing helmets, so don’t aim for their heads.”

_“Can ya get the other one?”_

Chikara reached into his satchel, fingers wrapping around a tranquilizer dart. “I can try, but he’s onto me. Be quick.”

_Bam, bam,_ all three in the room jumped at the whacks echoing at the door. The door put up a good fight as Ryuu forced it open, shrieking louder than Ryuu’s grunts of exertion. _Now’s my chance._ Four fighters aiming their guns at each other, three swift steps towards Kuguri, two shots from the others aimed at Numai, one tranquilizer in Chikara’s hand-

No time to dodge as Kuguri swung to his side, focused force slamming Chikara’s helmet and sending him careening into the wall, the clicks of his suit deactivating as dull in his ear as his vision before he squeezed his eyes shut.

“Shit, Chikara!”

“I’m okay,” Chikara replied weakly, ignoring the pounding in his head as he blinked back up to see Ryuu’s rapid firing aimed at Kuguri’s armored chest, the billowing light of Kuguri’s kinetic shield beginning to drain with every shot.

Chikara pat at the ground until he found what he wanted, his head spinning in circles as he tried to-

_‘To your left.’_ Chikara felt it more than heard it, a flash striking quicker than words, someone else’s instinct strong in his chest and rumbling like thunder. He rolled over in time to catch sight of Numai’s shots tearing through the steel flooring instead of Chikara's flimsy armor. Numai winced as he held his shotgun with his bandaged hand tightly, taking aim at Chikara again.

It was his own instinct this time that made him kick out at Numai’s ankle, but it was Ryuu’s shot at his back not even a full second later that sent Numai stumbling to his knees. Chikara’s hand moved quicker than he could think, sinking the tranquilizer needle into Numai’s neck and helping ease him to the ground.

Chikara sat up and propped himself against the wall, catching his breath and letting his head finish its dizzying twirls. It was only a few seconds before Kuguri slumped beside Numai on the ground, a nice, red imprint on his cheek matching the butt of Kyoutani’s rifle.

“You alright, Chikara?” Ryuu panted as he grabbed Chikara’s wrist and pulled him up.

Chikara stumbled and fell into Ryuu’s arms, and he was perfectly content to stay that way for a while. Maybe take a nap before they did anything else. “I’m fine, Ryuu. Is my helmet cracked?”

“You’re worried ‘bout your damn suit?”

“Look who’s talking. You call your suit your ‘baby’.”

“Oi, I- Alright. You got me there.”

“Stop flirting and come look at the monitors,” Yahaba called out - still hidden, Chikara noticed begrudgingly.

Chikara was steady enough to walk to the console on his own, but he leaned on Ryuu anyway. There was more of Nohebi scattered across most of the monitors, making their way to Daichi’s or Yamaguchi’s squads, or holding their ground, waiting for intruders. But on another... “That’s him, isn’t it?”

Tied to an office chair in front of dozens of servers sat Oikawa, his light brown hair an awful mess and his white suit wrinkled. He’d seen better days, certainly, but he looked completely unharmed. He was holding his head high, too, wearing a disgusted frown as he stared at nothing in particular.

The three others in the room covered in armor from head to toe acted like he wasn’t there, either, attempting to chat about the security breach casually, the words not entirely clear, but the nervous edge rang through.

“I recognize one of their voices,” Chikara remarked. “I can’t tell with the helmets, but I think that’s the one that caught us at the casino.”

“You mean the guy that ain’t Yaku?”

“...I mean, technically, yes.”

A different movement caught their eyes on other monitors, bursts of yellow making their way out of sight.

“Why’s Johzenji retreating?” Kyoutani asked, and Chikara might have jumped a few inches; he was starting to wonder if Yahaba’s Connected’s silence was a personal choice or not, and he didn’t sound entirely thrilled about the turn of events.

“I’m not sure,” Chikara lied, keeping his gaze on the monitors instead of meeting Kyoutani’s piercing glare. “The rest of the fighting is over. I guess they want to clear out early before we call Dateko to make the arrests.” Chikara let go of Ryuu to take his spot by the console. “We need to hurry. I’ll do what I can from here.”

Ryuu rubbed his shoulder, his gentleness over the armor always catching Chikara off guard. “You gonna be alright?”

“I’m fine, Ryuu. Go with them.”

“Alright.” Ryuu nodded to him before he turned, falling in step with Kyoutani, and the busted door shut about halfway behind them.

_Hopefully that won’t be trouble._ “Don’t break the doors ahead, Ryuu. We need them.” Chikara reactivated his stealth suit, the clicks taking their sweet time to reboot again.

On the screens, Daichi and Asahi were talking to Iwaizumi and the transport attendant Matsukawa as they patiently guarded their point and waited for updates, while Tsukishima and Yamaguchi wandered the corridors near Chikara’s location with Hanamaki, the nurse, and Turnip-kun, taking out the straggler running towards them swiftly. Ryuu and Kyoutani were approaching the server room door, their weapons at the ready. “Ryuu, I’m opening the door now.”

Ryuu and Kyoutani took cover on either side of the door before it slid open at Chikara’s command.

Oikawa’s sneer dropped, but his stare at the doorway was intense, suspicious, eyes scanning for friend or foe. The three surrounding him snapped to attention, guns aimed at the opening.

In the movies, this would be where the chaos started, guns blazing from both sides, the final push before the protagonist achieved victory.

The resulting standstill was not what Chikara expected, to say the least.

One fiddled with the control panel fruitlessly while the other two took cover on the other side of the door, all three of them out of their line of sight. _Damn it. If Ryuu shoots inside, he’ll probably hit the captive._ “You need to draw them out, Ryuu.”

_“Oi, any chance you guys wanna surrender?”_ Ryuu shouted into the room.

“Not planning on it,” the one that was technically not Yaku yelled back.

“Really, Ryuu?”

_“Hey, it was worth a-”_

Chikara thanked every god he could think of for Ryuu's heavy shields, because the shots striking him were precise, powerful, and coming from thin air. _“The Daishou asshole found us!”_

_No kidding, Ryuu._ The shots were quick, the source moving faster than Ryuu could aim his gun. _“Oi, Yahaba, use that Nekoma thing!”_

_“But then they’ll see me-”_

Ryuu wasn’t the only one aiming at whatever flashes of light he could see, the barest traces of movement the stealth suits gave off catching Kyoutani’s eye. Unlike Ryuu, he didn’t hesitate to shoot.

Yahaba’s weak shield shimmered as it burned away like paper, the agent of Seijou clicking back into view. _“What the fuck, Kyoutani?!”_

_“Stay out of the way!”_ Kyoutani growled back, seething irritation in a low rumble, but he was quick to stand in front of Yahaba before any shots came his way.

“Use it, Yahaba!” Chikara shouted, panic starting to set in - whatever Daishou was shooting with, Ryuu was cornered and couldn’t take much more of it.

Yahaba’s mind may not have been as quick as he thought it was, but his hand made up for it, another remote Kuroo had crafted in his grasp in the blink of an eye. The flash it emitted blinded the camera before they all came back into view - including their stealthed friend decked in dark green at Kyoutani’s side.

It all happened almost too quickly to follow; Daishou’s swift kick to Kyoutani’s knee, Ryuu smashing the butt of his rifle against Daishou’s chest to knock him over the kneeling Seijou agent, Yahaba fumbling with a tranquilizer needle before sinking it through the thin stealth suit before Daishou could gather his bearings, the others came out of the room shouting for their captain-

_“They’re almost here!”_ Suga announced through the comm.

_“Kindaichi and Kunimi insisted on guarding the entrance by Ennoshita-san and went ahead,”_ Tsukishima warned.

_“We’ll make due,”_ Daichi replied. _“Ennoshita, call it when you’re ready.”_

In the hall where the fighting continued, one of the three others was knocked out on the floor beside their captain, and Ryuu and Kyoutani were focusing their fire on Not-Yaku until his shield burned away. _“Oi, Kyoutani, knock him out!”_

With a sharp right hook from Kyoutani’s gauntlet to his cheek, Not-Yaku slumped gracelessly to his knees; Chikara cringed for him when his face met the steel floor. The last of them cursed and began to run down the hall when three guns turned toward him, the last of them decked in dark green soon out of sight.

The two seijou agents that wandered away from Yamaguchi may have been a lost cause, but the rest?

They’d make grand prizes for the cavalry en route.

“Do it now!”

Chikara’s role may not have been as flashy as Tsukishima’s as the nurse slammed his shield into Hanamaki, or as badass as Asahi’s as the former soldier rammed both Matsukawa and Iwaizumi through a doorway. But here, he was the lead, the star.

One by one, the doors slid shut at his command. Hanamaki, Matsukawa, Iwaizumi, and even Oikawa, the Grand King, were secondary characters in his movie-esque life, trapped and powerless and slamming on the doors as another dreadnought came into view on the monitors.

_“Shiratorizawa’s here!”_ Kindaichi’s panicked shout shrieked in his ear.

Yahaba looked around frantically for answers, gun pointed toward Ryuu shaking in his grasp. _“You turned on us?! You-”_

Iwaizumi’s shout cut through his words. _“Yahaba, get out of here! Get to Watari’s shuttle!”_

Ryuu turned his gun on Kyoutani. _“Not so fast-”_

“No, Ryuu!” Chikara interrupted quickly. “Let them go. Yahaba’s still useful to us.”

_“But the other asshole-”_

“Let him go, too.” _Let Yahaba keep his Connected._

Yahaba snarled but obeyed Iwaizumi’s order, turning to flee down the corridor with Kyoutani close behind. _“You’ve made the wrong enemy!”_

“We have your ship, your information, and your leaders. We can track him at any time thanks to that chip Iwaizumi-san wanted. I dare you to cross us.” Chikara could have locked the entryways, could have blocked off corridors to trap them inside, too. But Yahaba was of no use to him as a prisoner. As a tool, on the other hand… “Shiratorizawa agreed to go easy on Oikawa if you play nice.”

Yahaba did nothing more than growl in response as he and the others boarded a shuttle and flew out of sight.

_“Ennoshita, keep an eye on the monitors. Everyone else, clear out and let Shiratorizawa clean up. Once we wrap this up, we’re celebrating.”_

Chikara struggled with the clasps of his helmet before he pulled it off, the chill of the Seijou ship catching at the sweat dripping down his cheek and filling his lungs with relief.

_This is what victory feels like, huh?_

Victory was loud and chaotic, Shiratorizawa flooding the sights and sounds of every monitor. Victory was dizzying, the throbbing ache where his head hit the wall. Victory was tiring, heavy as lead in his arms and legs.

Victory was thrilling, cheers and praises singing in his comm. Victory was medicine, exhilaration soothing every pain. Victory was weightless, guiding his feet to jump into Ryuu’s arms the moment the soldier was in his sight.

_Victory’s just like the movies,_ Chikara decided as he kissed Ryuu with too much force, smooshed noses and sweaty foreheads and Ryuu’s heart pounding at all of it. _The good guys win, and the heroes get their kiss._

* * *

“We will abide by the agreement. As long as the agents that weren’t captured cooperate, Oikawa, Iwaizumi, Hanamaki, and Matsukawa may be released under permanent house arrest.”

Chikara listened along as the Shiratorizawa captain spoke, though it was hard to concentrate with the question of _‘Why does Daichi-san keep bringing me to his meetings?’_ buzzing so loudly in his mind.  

Shiratorizawa’s men bustled back and forth through the corridor beside them, Nohebi fighters in various states of consciousness cuffed and dragged from one dreadnought to the other. “We’ll be taking extra precaution to ensure you and your husbands remain safe in case they leak the intel they threatened you with.”

“Thank you, Captain Ushijima. Ukai-san and I will take care of the rest of that mess on our end.” Something in Daichi’s voice sounded misplaced, far off. Chikara wanted to pin it on relief, but he knew his captain well enough by now to know it was a foolish hope.

“One matter remains. It was reported that Kageyama Tobio is an agent of Seijou. How would you like to proceed?”

Daichi and Chikara glanced at each other, and thankfully, Daichi looked and sounded as confused as Chikara felt. “You’re letting us decide what to do with him?”

“I am asking for your input before a decision is made.”

“Um…” Chikara started cautiously, nerves prickling his skin when Ushijima turned his way, but he vowed to stand firm. _Like the others must have done for me to be standing here now._ “He stopped reporting to Seijou. Suga-san can confirm the cameras were turned off a while ago. And he chose to get the chip to help us. He wouldn’t do that if he wasn’t serious about the team.” Chikara cleared his throat before the weight of Ushijima’s stare choked him. “You should give him the same chance you gave Daichi-san and me.”

Ushijima’s heavy pause before he nodded was nearly as nerve-racking as the mission. “We will take this into consideration. We will leave him in your care until you arrive in Soren tomorrow.”

* * *

Movies lingered long after the credits, the swell of excitement buzzing through the viewer by the story’s end; the common room felt just like that when he stepped through, the sensation of victory shining in every smile, every laugh, every cheer. Even Kageyama carried an aura of satisfaction despite knowing what the morrow had in store for him. _There’s not much that can top the feeling of fighting for what you believe in after all._

“Chikara!” Ryuu barely gave him a chance to step into the room, nearly bowling him over to wrap his arms around him too tightly.

“You’re- you’re crushing my ribcage, Ryuu.”

_“Ahem.”_ Daichi pointedly cleared his throat, a quirked eyebrow in their direction, and Chikara decided it was perfectly alright for Ryuu to crush his ribcage and spare him the embarrassment.

“Daichi, we should wait until tomorrow to tell them,” Suga told him quietly, the subtle synthetic undertone louder than the clarity of his voice.

“Think of it as something else for them to celebrate,” he muttered back before he walked to the center of the room. “As you all know, I’m a wanted criminal. Ukai-san and Takeda-san took a big risk making me captain. If I was ever found out, all of Karasuno would be under fire.”

“And that risk just multiplied by a hundredfold,” Chikara finished for him as the realization dawned. “So you’re…”

Daichi nodded. “Once we touch ground on Soren tomorrow, I’m officially stepping down as captain.”

“Thought you said somethin’ about celebratin’,” Ryuu mumbled with his cheek squished against Chikara’s shoulder.

“A new captain is worth celebrating, isn't it?” Daichi replied with genuine optimism, though not without a twinge of regret.

_A new captain?_ That wasn’t worth celebrating by any means. Their team was perfect as it was now. Everyone had their place, each a valuable cog in the machine that kept them ticking, kept them flying. The thought of a stranger taking Daichi’s place was… it wasn’t right. Someone would have to earn their place on the team before they could even _think_ to stand in Daichi’s place.

“We were thinking of promoting someone here,” Daichi continued. “If you guys have any suggestions…”

Too many heads turned towards Chikara for his liking. “Why are you- I’m a criminal, too!”

“An entire colony wants Daichi’s head,” Suga casually commented about his husband and beheading. “Anyone that you crossed already knows you’re with us.”

Daichi grinned at him to rub it in. “Kuroo would have been the worst of it, and he just upgraded your helmet. I don’t think there’d be any objections.”

Chikara looked around the room, all eyes on him expectantly, as if he’d just agree, as if the concept of him being captain wasn’t _completely insane._ “But why me?!”

“You take initiative. You’ve made yourself crucial to strategizing. You listen to everyone. You understand the weight of your choices,” Daichi continued with a hint mirth. “You’ve already been leading. Everything else you haven’t done it just routine meetings and paperwork.”

“But…” Damn it all, Daichi’s praise was working, warming his cheeks and making him actually consider the batshit crazy idea. “Why not Ryuu? He’s-”

“Nuh uh. Too much paperwork,” Ryuu interrupted, cringing at the word ‘paperwork’ as if it cut his tongue.

”But I ran away...” He was still earning his spot back on the team, nevermind- nevermind _this._ “There’s no way I could lead the team.”

“That’s exactly why though.”

_Huh?_ Chikara turned toward Ryuu, those gray eyes he was insane about peering into his own.

Ryuu’s hand found its way to the small of Chikara’s back. “You came back ‘cause you wanted to be here. Hell, you coulda been thrown in jail, but you risked that just to tell us there was a spy. You proved you’re ready to go above and beyond for the team, ya know?” Ryuu’s thumb traced slow circles on his back. “‘Sides, we could use a sensible type like you leadin’ the way.”

“You’re back now, so what’s the problem?” Nishinoya asked casually, just discussing the future of the entire team, no big deal.

“If you don’t want it...” The teasing lilt in Daichi’s voice trailed off, but his reassuring grin held firm.

_Captain?_

_Would they want me as captain?_

The team's opinion was most important, wasn't it? And the team was…

The team was watching him expectantly like Nishinoya smiling away at him, there was quiet but excited chatter between each other like Yamaguchi and Yachi glancing in his direction, even Tsukishima gave him a small nod when Chikara looked his way.

_Would_ I _want to be a captain?_

He’d never considered it, never thought to consider it. He put the title of “captain” on a pedestal, a pedestal that Daichi had earned his place on. A captain continues to work long after everyone else has run off to rest, a captain handles the worst of situations with calm clarity, a captain knows every inch of their ship and their team.

A captain brings them to victory, but helps keep the team’s heads held high after defeat. A captain keeps the ship flying. A captain puts their team, their _family,_ above all else.

“You can take your time to think it over, there’s no rush to-”

“I’ll do it,” Chikara whispered at first, his crazy, harrowing, wonderful acceptance to this crazy, harrowing, wonderful proposal slow to catch up to his voice. “I’ll do it,” he said again, louder this time. Firm. Determined. Terrified, bewildered, but certain.

The burst of cheers around the room - especially with the second loudest woefully close to his ear - practically deafened him. Ryuu grabbed him tightly enough to lift his feet off the ground, Nishinoya leaped so high that Chikara was starting to wonder if the laws of gravity applied to him, there was enough laughing and cheering that he was dizzy with it all.

Daichi, Asahi, and Suga smiling at him were what kept him grounded, reassured him, soothed his nerves. They believed in him, and with Ryuu and the others at his back, he’d make the team unstoppable.

_Bring it on._

* * *

“Sober enough for a dance before we knock out?”

Chikara took a few graceless steps towards Ryuu to take his hand. “Only one way to find out,” he hummed before he decidedly leaned in for a kiss instead, a little off center, a perfect excuse to try again.

Ryuu ran a hand through Chikara’s hair as he deepened the next messy kiss, wisps of giggles from both of them after clumsily bumping teeth. Ryuu left his hand on Chikara’s shoulder when he broke the kiss. “Take the lead, Captain.”

_Captain._ “Suga-san, could you play the song, please?”

Steeling himself with a deep breath, he placed a hand on Ryuu’s waist and took his first step leading their way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another fantastic song for the fic in general is [Sam Smith's "Writing's on the Wall"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jzDnsjYv9A)


	17. epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Word count: 1,728  
> [Of Monsters and Men - King and Lionheart](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A76a_LNIYwE)

**[ Several Years Later ]**

 

"I thought you would find the list quite interesting."

"'Interesting' is an understatement."

The years have been damn good to Chikara, Ryuu decided as he watched Chikara swipe at a datapad in the comm room. The title of ‘Captain’ had been a perfect for him the moment he donned it; resting on his head held high, covering his firm shoulders, snug on his strong hands, weightless on his feet that never hesitated to lead their way.

And it was cute the way it wrinkled his brow at times like this as he continued to swipe at the datapad. “It’s like you intentionally search for the most chaotic combination of recruits possible to send my way.”

Takeda’s hologram pushed the bridge of his glasses up against his nose, mirth dancing in his eyes behind the lenses. “We have our absolute faith that you’ll bring them all together, Captain.”

“Promoting me was the real punishment, wasn’t it?” Chikara sighed, shaking his head at the datapad before setting it aside on the console. “Did you see my report about the engine blueprint?”

“I did. Ukai and I will be discussing it with Fukurodani tomorrow. Have Kageyama ready for a call around this time.”

“Yes, sir. Anything else?”

“There is one other matter,” Takeda began, sounding as pleased as could be. “You realize what today is, right?”

A day Ryuu had been waiting for seven years, a day he’d nearly lost all patience for, the key in his pocket a worse temptation than a kid knowing where his birthday gifts were hidden. Ukai had only given the key back to him a week ago, and it was beginning to feel like he’d given it to him to intentionally test Ryuu’s restraint.

Chikara cleared his throat awkwardly, trying to act all nonchalant, but he wasn’t as great of an actor as he thought he was. “I do.”

“As of today, you’ve finished working off your pardon. You’re no longer a prisoner. You don’t have to stay on the ship-”

“I’ll stay!” Chikara cut in quickly before clearing his throat again. He repeated himself, calmly this time. “I’ll stay.”

_That_ was something Ryuu never doubted; Chikara put the team and the ship above all else, even a step above their relationship. Admittedly, Ryuu felt the same way since taking over as second-in-command. But he’d never hesitate to confess that it made them stronger for it; the team was family, after all.

“Then I’ll leave you two to it,” Takeda replied with a far too satisfied grin. “I’ll speak with you tomorrow, Captain,” he finished with a bow before his hologram disappeared.

Ryuu couldn’t grab Chikara’s hand fast enough, couldn’t drag him to their room fast enough, couldn’t close the door fast enough. “You ready for this?” he asked, buzzing with excitement as he took both of Chikara’s hands into his own, rubbing his thumbs over the white shackles that hid his pretty wrists for too long.

Chikara took a hesitant glance around their quarters; the captain’s quarters was cozy, with a nice, big desk for Chikara to spend his evenings slouched over, a nice, big bed for Ryuu to sprawl across, a nice, big floor for them to throw all their various belongings, and nice, big walls to pin Saeko’s drawings and anything else that caught their interest to. “This will probably sound crazy, but I think I’m scared to take them off,” Chikara replied.

“Yeah, well, I ain’t surprised. You’ve always been a bit on the crazy side.”

“I have to be if I’m in love with you.”

“Harsh, Chikara,” Ryuu chuckled, turning Chikara’s hands in his own to find the lock on the inside of his wrists.

There was always something Ryuu found pretty about Chikara’s hands - something about the callouses that formed on his fingertips, something about the way his fingers curled around his, something about the way the silver band that matched Ryuu’s caught the light and fit perfectly around his ring finger.

Ryuu’s eyes focused on the black mark on the heel of Chikara’s palm - a silhouette of a crow about an inch long, so beautifully designed and perfectly inked to look like it was painted on that Ryuu was scared to rub it sometimes. He could remember when he went with Chikara to get it about four years ago; Chikara’s free hand trembling in Ryuu’s clutched so tightly that it hurt, and Chikara was so close to the verge of tears that Ryuu wasn’t sure he believed him when he insisted over and over again that it was what he wanted. It wasn’t until Saeko, that dirty traitor, started laughing and recalling the time Ryuu sobbed like a newborn baby getting his first tattoo that Chikara’s nerves began to ease, the quivering finally ceasing and his freakishly bare skin ready for Saeko’s needle.

Ryuu sobbed horribly when he got his second, and last, tattoo, another dragon made of fire across his chest that hopefully wouldn’t get beheaded this time. Despite the embarrassing amount of tears, he was glad he got it; when Chikara was too worn out for words after a long day, too exhausted to do anything more than lay in Ryuu’s arms, he would lazily trace the outline with his fingertip as he listened to Ryuu talk about just whatever before he drifted off to sleep.

Chikara’s dragon tattoo, on the other hand, was designed to look like it was carved from wood, fire engulfing the tail that wrapped around his left elbow and flames licking their way up its body. He didn’t cry at all getting it, that bastard; Ryuu blamed it on him just being used to it by then, the maniac’s fourth tattoo, and he was already thinking up his next one.

Ryuu ran his thumbs over the shackles again. He couldn’t blame Chikara for his fear, in some batshit crazy way; they’d been a part of him for so long, hell, it was a part of _them_ for so long. Cool against his back when Chikara wrapped his arm around him, loud clacking against the headboard when Chikara tossed and turned in his sleep, the source of plenty of teasing and more than a few wrestling matches for the remote. “I gotta admit, I get it. We’ve had some fun with these.” He paused before adding, “All sorts of fun,” getting a nice blush out of Chikara. “You know, we don’t gotta take these off-”

“Please take them off,” Chikara laughed faintly, an edge of nervousness lacing his weak chuckle.

“Alright, alright,” Ryuu laughed back before taking in a deep breath. “You ready?”

“You asked that already,” Chikara teased, his hands beginning to tremor lightly. “Are you sure _you’re_ ready?”

“Not really,” Ryuu confessed with a forced laugh. “Alright, I got this,” he muttered to himself, fumbling in his pocket for the key.

Between Chikara’s hands shaking, and his own not doing so great, he struggled to get the key into the lock - two racing hearts pounding in his chest didn’t help in the least. But when he did get the key in, they sucked in sharp, nervous breaths in unison.

The key gave him more resistance than it did the first time he turned it seven years ago, but it gave the same soft click, and the cuff fell to the floor with the same dull thud.

Just like seven years ago, Chikara’s eyes threatened to water as his wrist was finally freed of the weight that held him down, only an indent left on his skin. Just like seven years ago, Ryuu gingerly rubbed his thumb over the freshly exposed skin, but unlike the first time, he brought it up to his lips, kissing over the pulse point gently.

Chikara sighed at the kiss, one of those really cute sighs he did sometimes that were punctuated with a small _‘Ah’._ Ryuu just had to kiss again after that, and again, and again, slow kisses trailing around the raw skin, Ryuu savoring Chikara’s sighs, Chikara’s heavy breaths, Chikara’s rapid heartbeat strong in his chest.

Ryuu gently held Chikara’s hands by the fingers, the captain curling his fingers over Ryuu’s in turn. “You ready for the next one, Chikara?”

Chikara nodded, the tears pooling in the corner of his red eyes starting to trickle down his cheek to meet his quivering chin, and Ryuu’s watery eyes followed suit.

Fighting off a sniffle, Ryuu brought the key to the other shackle, and with another twist of his fingers, the second cuff fell to the floor to meet its partner.

The man in front of Ryuu choking on a relieved half-laugh, half-sob was a lot of things; an infiltrator, a husband, a captain. But there was no room for ‘prisoner’ on that list anymore. “How’s freedom feel?” Ryuu teased quietly as he brought the newly freed wrist up to his lips.

Chikara didn't give him the chance to kiss it, throwing himself at Ryuu instead and wrapping an arm tightly over his shoulder and another around his waist. “Thank you, Ryuu,” Chikara sobbed, his tears hot against the crook of Ryuu’s neck.

Ryuu wrapped one arm around Chikara’s waist and ran the other through his hair. He rested the side of his head against Chikara’s, pushing down the collar of the turtleneck with his thumb to gently kiss his neck. “Don’t thank me. This was all you, Captain.”

Chikara shook faintly in his arms, holding Ryuu tightly for a few peaceful minutes, his quiet sobs muffled in the crook of Ryuu’s neck. “I love you, Ryuunosuke,” he eventually sniffled, his voice heavy.

“Love you, too, Chikara,” Ryuu mumbled into his hair, squeezing him before lifting his head. He couldn’t help his smirk when he took a look at Chikara’s puffy eyes. “You look like hell.”

Chikara snorted, giving Ryuu a lazy grin back. “You don’t look so great, either,” he teased, wiping at Ryuu’s wet cheeks with his thumbs.

Ryuu curled his fingers over Chikara’s wrists, turning his head a little to give each a slow kiss, then sneaking in a quick kiss over the thin scar etched onto Chikara's bottom lip. He let go to step back, offering his hand with a bow. “May I have this dance?”

Chikara flashed him that rare smile that drove him absolutely insane - beaming from ear to ear, white teeth and blushing cheeks and a glee that reached his eyes.

Chikara’s hand fit his just right. “Lead the way.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Because people don't have wings, we look for ways to fly." - Furudate Haruichi
> 
> Thank you all so much for this past year
> 
> [C:](https://youtu.be/SJYH77qSf98)

**Author's Note:**

> AAAAAHH PEOPLE DREW ART FOR THE FIC aSDAJKSDKJAFUaDsjfzajusfj ∠( ᐛ 」∠)＿ i have melted into a happy puddle  
> [The gorgeous piece in chapter 1](http://starlity.tumblr.com/post/149957063877/i-always-say-morisuke-kuns-fics-are-the-fics-of) is by [Starlity](http://starlity.tumblr.com/)!  
> [Chapters 9 & 10](http://starlity.tumblr.com/post/153667390897/for-morisuke-kun-because-the-latest-chapters-of) are by [Starlity](http://starlity.tumblr.com/)!  
> [THE KISS!!!](https://thepessimistsblog.tumblr.com/post/155133270481/y-you-ready-for-this-excuse-me-do-you-remember) by [thepessimistsblog](https://thepessimistsblog.tumblr.com/)!! 
> 
> [tanakas-trashcan](http://tanakas-trashcan.tumblr.com/) made a [playlist](https://playmoss.com/en/exhaustchen/playlist/connected)!! Please check it out it's so good aaAAAAHHH
> 
> **holllyyyyy heeeccckkk you guys,[Kara](http://mochikara.tumblr.com/) wrote [ this incredible song](http://mochikara.tumblr.com/post/168883575287/happy-a-couple-hours-late-birthday)!!!!!!!! ** catch me sobbing for the next few years
> 
> Endless love to [Blackbird](http://archiveofourown.org/users/SaltyStrawberry), [Ziba](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Ziba), and [Sashimae](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Sashimae) for beta-reading, suggestions, and listening to me ramble.
> 
> To Blackbird: Thank you so much for everything. I've learned so, so much about writing because of you, and it's thanks to you that I was able to polish Connected into something I can be proud of, and that I'm gaining confidence as a writer to push forward.  
> 
> 
> writing blog: [glitch-writes](http://glitch-writes.tumblr.com)  
> personal blog: [ennotanafuta](http://ennotanafuta.tumblr.com)  
>  **  
> **  
> [Here's a little extra oneshot that takes place before the epilogue.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14131551)  
> 

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Two Years](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14131551) by [gIitch](https://archiveofourown.org/users/gIitch/pseuds/gIitch)




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